


Sweet Sixteen

by Dis_connect



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-12 02:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1180575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dis_connect/pseuds/Dis_connect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry's growing up.  Emma Swan has a brilliant idea that makes Ruby's life harder, tests Mulan's loyalties, and gives Regina a glance at life as it could have been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vandals

**Author's Note:**

> It came to me while driving. Apologies for fluff, crack, and toppling ideas.

Dinner at the Tattered Claw.  
  
According to the blurb over the top of a plastic-coated menu, the owner's cat battled an escaped lobster but presented just one mangle claw as a prize.  The decor was very...marina.  Regina could only hope the nets holding plastic shellfish had been washed before being flung about for atmosphere.  When Emma heard that Regina hadn't been to every restaurant in Storybrooke within her twenty-eight year freeze, she took it upon herself to explore them.  
  
Regina eyed the long red antennae jutting out from a jumble of clams, resigning herself to her fate.  She had set the arrangement - once a week, dinner to discuss Henry before the next day's handoff, with alternating choices of venue.  Regina, naturally, took Emma to the finer establishments of Storybrooke.  The Sheriff's grumbling about having to 'get dressed up for a how-do-you-do' only made it sweeter.  However Regina had underestimated Emma's tendancy for variety, and revenge.  
  
So she was stuck with...earthier choices of dining.  
  
"Christ, Regina, just eat the damn thing."  
  
"It's looking at me."  
  
"I offered to crack it for you."  
  
Regina had refused out of nothing else but pride.  She was quite used to her lobster as a pretty, shelled tail at $80 plus per plate but the monstrous creature just daring her to dig in was more than a little intimidating.  No doubt Emma had ordered the 'Clambake' as a way of picking at the Mayor.  
  
Sure enough, Emma was already through both claws and prying at a clam with intent.  
  
"How do you know how to crack lobster?  I can't imagine there were bounties large enough to pay for one." Regina snipped, reaching for the shears - surely they were less messy!  
  
Emma grinned in pleasure as the clam gave way to her efforts.  "Some runners are just desparate enough for a new life that they'll throw down a feast."  
  
Regina twisted a claw off, mimicking the Sheriff's actions as best she could.  "How mercenary."  
  
"Eh.  A girl's gotta eat...and then toss his ass in jail."  
  
White meat steamed faintly as it came free of its shell.  Regina's first bite tasted like sweet, sweet victory and she smirked triumphantly at Emma.  The Sheriff just eyed the rest of the lobster, reminding Regina there was still plenty to go.  "Should I be worried?"  
  
"About?"  
  
"I don't pay you enough to afford lobster dinners."  
  
Emma's predatory grin reemerged.  "I got a windfall from Ruby."  
  
Regina tucked into the second claw.  "Waitressing pays.  Who would have thought."  
  
"She bet me I couldn't stay in those heels all through the night last week but I had the damn marks to prove it.  Ruby had to dig into her savings so be sure to thank her for dinner when you see her again!" she laughed.  
  
"Charming." Regina winced but remembered that the blonde had indeed fought down her fidgeting through last week's dinner.  Emma usually toed off her heels under the table in spite of Regina's glowering.  The one time the Sheriff was able to sit without bemoaning her feet through the whole meal was when she was in uniform.  Situations arose that meant Emma had been on-call, even if she hadn't received one notice through the night.  It gave Regina a chance to appraise the new uniforms and her choices were, of course, perfect.  In particular, the Sherrif's star gleamed bright and proud against a background of black rather than brown.  
  
"Regina!  Hey, where'd you go?"  
  
"I'm right here, Miss Swan." she scowled at the waving hand.  
  
Emma cocked a brow, glancing again at Regina's plate.  She had jokingly reached over to help but when Regina's thousand-mile stare held, Emma boldly separated body from tail and then called the Mayor back from limbo.  
  
"Miss Swan!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I realize you have idiot running through your veins but surely you can follow a simple request-"  
  
Emma leaned back in her seat, interrupting the tirade.  "Whatcha gonna do, Madame Mayor?  Put it back together?"  
  
Regina turned a very interesting shade and sipped at her wine.  Prior to expectations, and company, the marina restaurant was full of good taste, right down to their vintages.  The pinot swirled around her tongue as Regina cooled down and by the time she swallowed, her most frigid mask was in place.  "How has Henry been this week?"  
  
"Alright." Emma shrugged, leaning forward as they moved into the more dour aspect of the evening.  
  
Regina huffed pointedly.  Emma knew she hated one-word answers.  
  
"Kid's good, Regina.  A damn angel."  
  
"So nothing happened this week?  No incidents at school?"  
  
Contrary to their fears, Henry was actually absorbed by the student body rather than pushed away.  When the Lost Boys joined in, Henry's popularity soared to new heights and his week was now busy with social gatherings and sleep-overs more than reading or bothering either mother at work.  Both Regina and Emma (with Regina's stringent enforcement) stipulated that Henry only had to do his homework and be home on time but at fourteen, Henry was starting to itch and grow out of his mothers.  Emma was resigned to it.  Regina was terrified.  
  
The Sheriff cocked a brow.  "Should there have been?  His teachers say he's an excellent student.  They only had to take his phone away once."  
  
"They took his phone away?  What for?"  
  
A sarcastic reply warped into the truth.  Emma had already picked on Regina enough...for then.  "Texting in class."  
  
"Did you speak with him about this?"  
  
Emma shrugged.  "Said he was talking with Drew over in history.  They're trying to get onto the track team together.  I told him to be more careful next time."  
  
"You...told him to not get caught breaking a rule?"  
  
Regina turned a more familiar shade, flushing in anger.  Emma frowned.  "What did you want me to say, Regina?  Kid's gonna do it no matter how many times we tell him not to.  He's at that damn age."  
  
"I expect you to be his mother, not his delinquent friend!"  
  
 Emma called the waiter over, putting in an order for harder alcohol.  
  
"What are you doing, Miss Swan?"  
  
"If you're gonna yell at me all night, I need to be more drunk than this."

 

  
\--------------

 

 

It was delicious.  In the end, Regina was forced to admit that much.  Or perhaps it was the wine loosening her tongue.

Emma had beamed at the compliment and the minor uproar of Henry's phone issues fell to the wayside.  They stepped out without dessert and walked along the bordwalk where the cool wind nudged them towards sobriety.  Emma jammed her hands into her jacket pockets, a nice leather car coat she'd been (not-so-mysteriously) gifted with after Neverland.  Regina wound an arm around the Sheriff's and received no complaint.  "It's cold."

"Yeah." Emma smirked, ignoring the blatant excuse.

"Did you say if Henry had any projects coming up?" Regina frowned, thinking back.  Once Emma insisted the Mayor get her own damn whiskey, things got a little fuzzy.

Emma hummed, head lolling on her neck until a satisfactory crack was heard.  "Nope.  Kid's just gotta grow into his feet and he'll be a good sprinter."

"Does he let you walk him to school?"

The tentative, vulnerable undertone made Emma squeeze Regina's arm with her elbow.  "Nah.  Told me I wasn't cool enough.  I told him I have every single one of the songs on his iPod."

Regina snorted.  "Of course, dear, that makes you the _height_ of cool."

"He's running the distance.  I think he's stopping for pancakes on the way, though."

"The allowance was your idea, Miss Swan."

"Not really.  Kid said he wouldn't clean my place anymore unless I paid him."  At Regina's aghast look, Emma chuckled.  "Just kidding."

"I wouldn't be surprised." the Mayor huffed.  "But he would need a backhoe and FEMA."

"Hey, I do alright!" she sulked.

"Of course, dear."

Emma muttered something about 'maid service' when a burst of wind threatened to topple them forward.  "Damn!" the Sheriff grunted, flipping the collar of her coat up. 

Regina held tighter while her free hand went to her hair.  She knew it was a wasted effort, however, as she heard Emma snicker.

"New style, Madame Mayor?"

The breeze had resumed its lazy course, leaving Regina's immaculate coif in a wild spray of strands.  She retrieved her arm and set about taming the mess when a flop of black material entered her view.  Regina cocked a brow at the police department beanie, her eyes tracking back to Emma's face, though the Sheriff was looking ahead. "I don't do beanies, Sheriff Swan."

"You really want to spend all night combing that back in place?  What if we run into one of your _dear_ constituents before I'm sober enough to drive again?"

Regina **had** been growing her hair out and she could feel the snags when her fingers raked through.  She huffed and snatched the offering, pulling the cloth over her head with as much decorum as possible. 

Emma snorted when she saw the SPD seal was perfectly centered.

After a few minutes of mulled silence, Regina threaded her arm through Emma's again, breaking the tension.

"You know I'm going to arrest Henry soon, right?"

So much for peace.  Regina's voice hit a shrill note even _she_ cringed away from.  " _WHAT_?!"

Emma flinched, stomach rocking unpleasantly at the sudden jerk.  "Jesus, Regina, calm the fuck down!"

"You said that nothing was wrong!  That Henry is an angel!"

"He is!  Just...stop screaming for christ's sake." she groaned, leaning back against the bordwalk railing.  "Shit, you're strung out tonight!"

Regina looked fit to murder.

"Alright, alright, chill." Emma pushed herself upright again, a smile tugging at her lips.  "Henry's growing up, yanno?  I just...got to thinking.  Kid's gonna be fifteen and before you know it he'll be six-two and sixteen."

The Mayor bit her treacherous lower lip to stall the wobbling, though it cut off her chance to taunt about rudimentary math.  Whisky was a bad idea.

"And he's gonna be a little shit."

Throttling Emma was a better idea.

"Ah, don't look at me like that." Emma jabbed a finger into Regina's shoulder, poking her away and snickering when the Mayor swatted at her, missing by a mile.  "You know it's gonna happen.  I know it's gonna happen.  No kid is so sweet and good and awesome as Henry without having a few years tellling everyone to fuck off."

"You would know." Regina managed at last, lifting her chin.  "Having never left those years."

"Ouch.  Right here." Emma rolled her eyes, drumming her fingers over her heart.

"You'll never know him as well as I do, Miss Swan.  Henry will be as darling as ever."

Kill-shot.  "So those years where he hated you were...what?  Imagined?"

Unfortunately, Regina always had her attacks at the ready.  "No but there is no way **my** son will end up getting a random stranger pregnant and thrown into prison!"

Emma laughed, loud enough to startle.  Regina wondered if the Savior had finally broken, the final straw.  Emma gasped for breath, turning to lean her arms on the railing and wipe at her eyes until contained enough to turn back and speak.  Her eyes were bright but Regina couldn't believe it was entirely from mirth.  "Thank god for that, yanno?  He's not gonna be Neal, right?"

"...right."

Silence wormed between them, fitting imperfect and jagged but brief as Emma stopped star-gazing and regarded Regina.  "You were sixteen once.  That age...you stop caring about the risk and you reach for what makes you feel good, what feels right."

Yes.  You start caring about love and shy glances, about feeling good enough to slay your own dragons and ask what the hell the world **doesn't** owe you after so long of being so very _good._   Regina shook her head, flush and aching with the past.  "I...I don't know."  Emma came up from her own past-imperfect to listen.  "I-I never really..."

Emma smiled a little, reaching out to pull Regina closer by her fingertips.  "Yeah...I always forget, don't I?  I just, I look at you and I see _you_ and I forget what...where you came from.  I just see Regina."

She slipped into the Sheriff's embrace; no surprise, no tension, just a feeling of good and right and where Regina always wanted to be.  Deeper and deeper into a thick well of home and comfort until she was happy to drown.

"Hey!"

Regina missed the embrace as soon as she was free, held at arm's length.

"I have an awesome idea!"

Before Regina could shoot her down, Emma was off and running.  Regina followed at a more dignified pace, catching up in time to see the Sheriff rooting around in the police cruiser's trunk.  "Miss Swan, what the hell are you doing?"

"Ah-ha!"

Two cans topped with lurid colors were thrust into her face while two more were pushed into her hands.  "Miss Swan, I-"

"We're totally gonna make some trouble!" Emma laughed, slapping the trunk closed in triumph.

Regina's face was blank, as though Emma were speaking a new language.

Green eyes rolled.  "Don't you see?"  She gave one can of spray paint a vigorous shaking.  "You didn't get to be a kid in this world, I know all about it, and I'm the Sheriff so we can't possibly get arrested!  It's perfect!"

Regina looked to her full hands, completely lost.  "I...don't understand."

"Wow, you never actually read the police reports, do you?" Emma snorted, taking Regina by the elbow.  "C'mon!  We're gonna have some fun."

 

 

"Why are we at Granny's?"

"Shh!  God, you're really bad at this!"

Regina scowled, following Emma behind the bed and breakfast.  The Sheriff had been shaking the spray paint in-hand vigorously for their entire walk over and eyed the back wall with glee.  The alcohol was wearing down in Regina's body but not nearly fast enough for her to understand the point.  "Miss Swan-"

"Call me Emma, yeah?  We're breaking the law together, it's the least you can do!"

Emma began to spray something on the wall, looking suspiciously like the number two.  Regina squinted but it didn't improve.  "Why are we doing this?"

"Regina.  Get over here."

The Mayor sighed with the weight of the world but joined the blonde.  Emma stole one of her paints, replacing it with the white she had been using.  "What am I supposed to do?"

Emma added a bit of black near the first end of the two, tongue tip jabbing from between her lips.  "Just...do somethin, yeah?  Whatever you want.  That's the point."

Regina frowned at the yet-unused red and then at the wall.  She popped the lid off and shook the can as she saw Emma do but had no idea what to paint.  She looked to what Emma was working on, the white stolen from her and replaced with black once more.  "What are you making?"

"Eyes on your own paper, Madame Mayor." Emma teased, snickering as she fleshed out her work.  "It's a swan.  Was my calling card."

"That isn't a swan, Miss...Emma."

"It is too a swan!  See that's the neck and here's a wing."

Regina scoffed and stole the white, contemplating the 'swan' for a moment before adding her own touches, extending the wing feather tips and smoothing out the neck.  Emma whistled.  "Nice, Regina.  You haven't done this before, right?"

"Of course not!"

"Shh!"

"What's my calling-card?" she mused aloud.

"Hey, that's mine.  Make your own!"

Regina wrested the yellow from Emma and smirked as she put a quick, pointy crown on the bird.  "There, perfect!"

"Totally ruined my swan."

"I improved on it!"

"Yeah if improved is--oh shit, c'mon!!"

"Wha-?"

Emma yanked Regina into a run, snorting with laughter that seemed contagious.  They hid just across the way, tucked into the shadows, and tried to silence each other, unsuccessfully, when Ruby emerged to throw away two bags of garbage.  She didn't notice anything until she turned to go back inside and scowled mightily at the runny image.  "Keep off the walls, ya little jerks!" she shouted to no one, though it made the guilty pair snicker even worse.

Ruby vanished back inside and Emma grinned at Regina.  "Get it?"  Regina nodded vigorously, eyes bright and cheeks flush with excitement.  "Anyone you wanna hit?"

Regina grinned darkly.  "Oh yeah."

 

  
\------

 

 

Emma flinched when a pile of paperwork slapped onto her desk.  She looked up from rubbing her temples to see none other than Mr Gold, looking none too pleased.  "Sheriff Swan.  Good morning."

She offered a brief smile.  "What can I do for you, Mr Gold?"

He tapped the file before her.  "I had a rather...unfortunate incident at my shop.  Some young thugs seem to think they can laugh in my face."

Emma's eyes dropped to the file and she was unbelievably glad it was closed.  She looked up at him, offering a curt nod.  "Seems we had a run of vandalism last night.  Probably some Lost Boys that aren't fitting in too well.  We're looking into it."

"How did you know mine was vandalism?" his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Her eyes darted to the other stack of paperwork.  "Plenty of complaints already this morning.  Everyone from the docks to Granny's had something happen."

"I see." He relaxed just enough.  "Well then you have plenty of evidence against the perpetrators."

She smiled until his back turned.  When he was gone, Emma licked her lips and glanced around.  She was definitely alone.  Mulan wouldn't be due in for another two hours and Ruby would take a night shift.  The Sheriff thumbed the file open, grinning widely at the rather...interesting assortment of phrases and images painted on all four walls of Gold's pawn shop.  That he was irate enough to make his own file was just the cherry on top.  She scrolled through her cell phone, ringing up Regina while faxing the pictures one at a time to the Mayor's line.

"Sheriff Swan."

God, her tone was sub-fucking-zero but it only made Emma grin wide enough to hurt.  "How's the hangover, Madame Mayor?"

"What do you want?"

"I've received another complaint."

"Thrilling.  Toss it into the furnace, like the others."

Emma had been sending Regina images and faxes from the very first complaint - Ruby's incredibly verbal complaint the catalyst to Emma's hungover-vengeance and her amusement.  They had been getting filed like any other event but Emma made sure Regina was made vividly aware of each.  "Oh this one I know you'll want to see.  Game of Thorns was good but check your faxes."

A resigned sigh preceded a hearty pause, only the flip of paper indicating that the line was still open.  The smile in Regina's voice made up for every one of her callous replys that morning.  "Miss Swan, I'm sure Mr Gold brought you color photographs.  Bring them by my office.  I feel a need to change the art on my walls."

"Right away, Madame Mayor." Emma chuckled.


	2. Spoiled Rotten

Regina's angry paranoia turned out to be unfounded.  Emma did a snap job of sweeping the cases under the rug, every school had an assembly about respect, Gold charged a few shiny pennies for clean-up, and life in Storybrooke went back to normal.  
  
Or as normal as a magical small-town can be.  
  
After two months the Mayor stopped holding her breath at their weekly dinners.  Emma didn't so much as hint at a repeat performance though she got a private little smirk one night when they were inadvertently dining in the same restaurant as Gold and Belle.  Regina had to kick her to get her giggles under control.  
  
"I was totally winning but then I caught one of my laces and face planted."  
  
"You didn't double-lace them?" Regina tutted, gently swabbing the alcohol pad over Henry's face.  
  
"I swear I did!" he winced but held still.  "That's why I need Yankz!  No knots to come loose, a one-step-pull, and no tripping guarenteed!"  
  
"You need to tie your laces tighter." She rebuffed his plea as she had been for weeks.  
  
"Mooooom!  I'm never gonna make the team if I don't get my feet under control!"  
  
"Isn't Emma paying you an allowance for frivilous things?" Regina rolled her eyes at the dramatics, gently patting his cheek.  "Looks like you'll live."  
  
"Pennies, mom, pennies!  Enough for a burger and fries at Granny's but I can't take a date out to _Granny's_!"  
  
"A date?"  
  
Henry's back went ramrod straight.  "Um..."  
  
Regina waited while Henry's color rose.  
  
"I, uh...I think I hear the door!"  
  
"Henry!" she called to his retreating back.  
  
However he kept moving, throwing the front door open and grabbing his jacket in one smooth motion.  Emma stood at the door, fist raised to knock.  "Uh...hey, kid."  
  
"Hi, bye!"  
  
He zipped past her and Emma watched him go, highly confused but even more so when Regina ran up.  "Henry Daniel Mills you get back he- _Emma_!"  
  
Emma looked between mother and vanished son, wondering at the pretty flush on Regina's face.  The Mayor looked her uniform over and Emma felt gooseflesh erupt over her body.  No one aught to have eyes that piercing!  "I'm...uh..."  
  
"You're here in an official capacity, Sheriff Swan?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Business, dear?"  
  
Pleasure, her mind snickered.  "No, uh...nice dress..."  
  
Regina smiled, pleasantly surprised.  "Impulse buy."  
  
Emma smirked.  "You?  Impulsive?  I can't believe it."  
  
She ran her hands over the cream material.  "Yes, well, what can I do for you, Sheriff?"  
  
A blonde brow spiked up.  "You invited me to dinner?"  
  
Regina blushed, stepping back.  "Of course.  Come in."  
  
Emma's boots made solid, strong impacts on the foyer in counterpoint to Regina's quiet low heels.  "I'm on-call so if I run out, it's not because of the food."  A haughty, elegant brow cocked and Emma quailed appropriately.  "Not that it ever would be."  
  
"Water?"  
  
"Cider.  Warm if you have it."  Emma rolled her eyes at _the look_.  "Just a small glass, I know, I know."  
  
"Henry should be back in time for dinner."  
  
Emma chuckled.  "Yeah, I don't doubt it.  Kid's broke again."  
  
"Has he been...buying meals for someone?  Or presents?"  
  
Regina handed off the glass, Emma sipped at it with a grateful sigh.  "Is he going on dates?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Dunno.  Said something about some girl giving him a hard time."  
  
"And you said...?"  
  
"In spite of what his grandparents think, chivalry's dead and he should give as good as he gets."  
  
"Eloquent as ever."  
  
"Yeah...I toned it down for your delicate ears."  
  
"You shouldn't be swearing in front of him."  
  
Emma followed Regina around the kitchen until shooed to the island where she claimed a stool, sipping slowly at her cider.  "You know he's going to eventually right?  With or without me.  Better he learn how to use it properly than from some shit he's hanging out with."  
  
"I didn't realize there is a 'proper' way." she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Want help?"  
  
Regina had thoughts of making wedge salads but in the interest of keeping the restless busy, she nodded towards the fixings.  "I realize greens burn against your skin but I think you can handle this."  
  
"Pfft.  I make salads for Henry."  
  
"When they come in a bag it doesn't count."  
  
The insult was barely a glance, more play than bite.  Emma scrubbed her hands clean, frowning when her phone buzzed.  It was tied to the police station's phone that night but this was a personal call.  The image that showed up made her roll her eyes and ignore the call.  
  
"Telemarketing?"  
  
One of the joys of rejoining the real world meant that Storybrooke was subject to its more irritating aspects.  They had gone whining to Emma, and Neal, but she explained, repeatedly, that it was hell avoiding them.  "No."  
  
Regina paused a moment at the flat tone, resuming her prep when Emma's elbow bumped into hers.  
  
"Since our little escapade Snow's been wicked paranoid.  Most of our calls have been her freaking out about every little sound.  I keep saying she's got David there.  He's a damned boyscout-deputy and already jumps when she calls."  
  
Another call ignored.  Regina set a hand over Emma's left wrist.  "Not so small."  
  
Emma nodded.  "I've been practicing."  
  
It showed.  The Sheriff's knife work was mostly smooth and effortless.  "I can't imagine what I put on their house had anything to do with it."  
  
"Hell, we were kinda sober by then, too." Emma snickered.  "After a life of rainbows and puppies, I can imagine seeing 'fuck you' sprayed in bright yellow on her porch would be alarming."  
  
They shared wicked grins until Emma's phone buzzed again.  "Fuck.  Don't answer my phone, she calls the damn station."  
  
"If you know it's her, why answer?"  
  
"I'm told the Mayor hates it when the PD is lazy.  Sheriff Swan!"  
  
Regina glanced over during the one-sided conversation, disturbed to see frustration and annoyance etching tension over the planes of Emma's face. Not that she hadn't done enough of that herself but Emma was Regina's friend, her closest friend at that, and Regina took the responsibility of irritating Emma very seriously.  
  
"Uh-huh.  Behind the garage?  Suspicious noises, right.  Snow.  **Snow**.  Didn't you have David working in that garden-thing yesterday?  He probably just left some tools out and the wind blew 'em over.  What?  I'm not making excuses!  No, I'm not at the station.  I'm having dinner.  Nope, not Granny's.  Guess again.  Snow, I'm at Regina's.  Of course with Henry!  I know it's the middle of the week, why do you even...no, no leads.  Yeah right.  Uh-huh.  Well, if they keep teasing Ruby about spraying Granny's windows, she's gonna go wolf on those three shits.  Aw, c'mon Snow!  It's kinda funny."  Emma paused to hold the phone away from her ear as the chatter increased in volume.  Regina shoulders hitched suspiciously and Emma poked her in the ribs.  "Yeah, laugh at my pain." she teased.  "What?  Yeah, I'm liste...no. Snow, no! I'm not coming over again!  Well maybe if you stopped putting out a call to the local wildlife they would stop bothering you!  Last time it was that raccoon...Raymond, right, how could I have forgotten?  I'm not employing animals.  Look, Snow, I gotta go."  
  
Emma dropped her phone on the counter with a huff.  "She's such a..."  
  
"Princess?" Regina supplied.  
  
"Oh is she ever."  
  
"So if I call you in the middle of the night-?"  
  
"I'll be here."  
  
Regina cocked a brow, watching the shells of Emma's ears heat up at the quick reply.  "Even if it's just an animal?  Fallen garden tools?"  
  
"You always put yours away in the shed, Madame Mayor." she pointed out.  "And someone once told me that a Queen doesn't have to lie.  Her word is law or some crap like that."  
  
Regina flicked one of Emma's flush ears, getting her to flinch.  
  
"Knife!" Emma growled.  
  
"Your mother could send a herd of deer through to wreck my back yard, Sheriff."  
  
"Regina, the only animal I'll be arresting is Henry when he's trying to sneak back in at three in the morning."  
  
"I think not."  
  
"Uh-huh.  Our little run of Storybrooke's commercial establishments didn't open your eyes?  Rubbing people's noses into it, hiding from people that would call the cops on you...that shit's stupid-fun, especially for the good kids."  
  
Regina thought to the colorful pictures locked away in her desk.  Henry liked to doodle all over his homework and notes.  He had taken part in a mural down by the docks, painting bright nets and fish for three days, and enjoyed it immensely.  Each day he'd come home with a new trick learned, a new take on his project and when it ended, he seemed rather morose.  She made a note to look into paints and canvas.  "Henry is too gifted to take part in that...mess.  And I'm still waiting for you to clean that white paint off my coat."  
  
"Keep holding your breath."  
  
Prep gave way to the main event, for which Emma was firmly banished to a seat at the island, a spectator only.  However Regina gave in to her persistant whining and poured the Sheriff another two fingers of cider, rolling her eyes when Emma tried to puppy-eye her into more.  As things reached the simmering-stage, Regina snatched Emma's glass away from her, stealing a sip.  "Hey!"  
  
Henry strolled into the kitchen, all limbs and feet with a boyish grin.  "Hey moms."  
  
"Get your mom under control, Henry, before I have to arrest her."  
  
"Remind her I pay her salary first, dear."  
  
He sighed, eyes rolling for the ceiling.  "You guys are so weird!"  
  
"You're weird-junior, then." Emma shielded her glass with her arms.  "Take a seat."  
  
He did, but Henry's face was transfixed to his phone.  "What's for dinner?"  
  
"Food."  
  
"Gee, thanks Ma."  
  
"Here to help."  
  
They settled, Emma watching Regina and Henry tick-tick-ticking away on his phone.    
  
"Hey kid."  
  
As the silence stretched, Regina cleared her throat in warning.  "Henry."  
  
"What, Ma?"  
  
"Which one is your girlfriend?"  
  
"All of 'em." he snickered to himself.  When he realize he was **heard** , Henry blanched.  "Uh..."  
  
Just three years before, girls were still gross.  Regina bit her lip and checked the pasta.  Emma nudged the boy.  "Hey kid, breathe.  Just giving you shit."  
  
"Language!"  
  
"A hard time, that is."  
  
Henry snorted.  "I don't have a girlfriend."  
  
"You sure as hell are texting like you got one."  
  
"No worse than you!" He shot back.  "Who are you texting in the patrol car all night?"  
  
His eyes darted meaningfully to Regina's back and Emma felt her cheeks burn.  "My deputies.  Who else?"  
  
"Yeah I bet you're all still _real_ busy with that spray-paint spree."  
  
"What does that mean?" Regina demanded, whipping around.  
  
"That assembly was total bull..." Henry cut himself off there as his mom narrowed her eyes.  "Nobody there knew anything or did anything but they had to punish all of us."  
  
"We couldn't find any leads, kid.  They were pretty good and fast."  
  
"Fast I'd believe but even the elementary kids could make better graffiti.  Danny had pictures on his phone.  Looked like someone writing with their feet using melting crayon."  
  
He returned to his phone as another text came in, blessedly ignorant to the look his mothers shared.  Emma dragged a finger over her throat when Regina's affront looked ready to evolve into snark.  Her phone buzzed, noting a new text and for a moment, she and Henry were hunched over the same way.  Emma smirked and straightened up.  "Damn I'm good."  
  
"Language, Miss Swan!"  
  
"I'm not saying anything like 'golly-gee', Regina.  Storybrooke isn't nearly small-town enough for that Pleasantville crap."  
  
"If you're done, dinner is ready, Sheriff.  Henry, drain the pasta please.  Maybe you could use the water to wash your mother's mouth out."  
  
Henry snickered, sending a few final words before pocketing the device.  "Careful, Ma.  She's got your number."  
  
"Yeah, yeah.  David went to check out that noise.  Turns out it was a few loose pots rolling around and banging together."  She left out the 'please be nicer to your mother, she's under a lot of stress lately'.  Snow's pregnancy was the last thing she ever wanted to think about.  
  
"Thank goodness she had her Prince Charming there to help.  Take this."  
  
All things considered, it was remarkably simple fare.  Emma snuck a handful of bacon crumbles into the salad to give it extra incentive but Henry chewed through a large helping of greens without complaint.  He regaled them with stories of school and how excited he was for the track-tryouts coming up in a week.  When he ran through his sales pitch and Emma looked confused, Henry explained exactly what Yankz were and how beneficial they would be to his running career.  Emma just glanced at Regina and explained that's what his allowance was for, which he would get in a week and a half.  
  
Henry's heart-broken, teenage dramatics were disturbed by a call; a proper police, non-Snow call by the way she didn't roll her eyes.  Emma asked a few questions as she stood, hanging up with a sigh.  "Damn.  Sorry, I gotta....duty calls and all."  
  
A dozen unspoken sentences went between his mothers and Henry watched, enrapt.  There was a bizarre brother/sister dynamic with Killian, made gross when he tried to kiss her.  And Emma may have loved Neal.  She probably still loved him to a degree, but their interactions were tense, forced, uncomfortable to watch.  Granted, his moms made him uncomfortable now and then too but it was different, like peeking in on something private.  He ducked his head, pushing the food around his plate.  
  
"I'll save a plate for you." Regina informed her, cordial, polite.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Emma ripped herself away from dinner and caught the urge to kiss the top of Regina's head in passing.  The food was good but they were just friends.  Just good friends.  Sharing a son growing up too fast in a magical town in Maine.  
  
Just that.  
  
\------  
  
Henry's thumbs became glued to his phone after dessert and though he sat with Regina while she caught up with the evening news, he didn't exactly contribute.  She wanted to ask what made him snicker and laugh now and then but he barely looked up.  When the news switched over to prime-time dramas, she tapped his phone, getting him to look up for the first time in an hour.  "Do you want to watch a movie, Henry?"  
  
He gave it a moment of thought, eyeing the cabinets chock-full of every and anything he could want to view, but looked almost sheepish.  "Nah.  I'm kinda tired actually.  Think I'll turn in early."  
  
It caught Regina by surprise.  Henry tried to squeeze the last drops out of an evening before being herded to bed anymore.  "Are you feeling alright, dear?  It's only seven."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, mom.  Just tired, growing up and all that."  
  
She smiled, sad and sweet as she stroked his hair.  "Yes, you are doing that, aren't you?"  
  
" _Mom_..." Henry protested, wiggling away to straighten his hair.  
  
Her smile warped into hesitance.  "Are you sure you want to grow it out, Henry?"  
  
"Totally.  I'm gonna grow a rat tail and drive you nuts."  
  
Regina smirked.  "Grow one of those and I'll give you a real one, young man."  
  
"How about a monkey tail instead?"  
  
"Henry."  
  
"A horse tail?" he grinned, raking his fingers through his hair.  "It would match my long mane!"  
  
She rolled her eyes, smiling as Henry laughed.  
  
He stood and leaned over to kiss her forehead.  "Night, mom.  Love you."  
  
"I love you too, Henry.  More than you'll ever know."  
  
He just shook his head and strolled for the stairs, phone tick-ticking again.  Regina lingered, letting the crime drama dull her mind for a while.  Henry's door clacking shut snapped her from the trance.  Regina frowned at the time, already halfway through the next program.  A glance at her own phone, not without wondering how Emma and Henry were so attached to theirs, showed no messages.  Whatever Emma was tangled up in had her attention.  She would get her food boxed, then.    
  
Regina packed up the leftovers for Emma and trudged upstairs for a shower.    
  
As the hot water beat on her back, Regina pressed her forehead to the still-cool tiles and worked on not being irritated that the Sheriff was called off to work.  Of course, Regina knew she was on-call but Emma at least could have been kind enough to take her own birthday off.  Then again Regina couldn't trust the blonde to remember something as routine as Henry's doctor appointments, especially with Snow pregnant and demanding...or at least moreso than usual.  Something so banal as a birthday would easily slip by the blonde's radar.  She huffed and scrubbed her hair clean with terse, mechanical motions.  
  
Her time and effort in making a brownie-mousse torte now seemed foolish.  There was no question that Emma would have enjoyed it greatly but now there was only half the torte left.  Regina had lingered over a small slice while Henry attacked half the dessert under the strict understanding he would have no sugar the next day.  Probably not until he went back to Emma's if he couldn't pull his head out of his phone.    
  
While towelling her hair dry, Regina mulled over the idea of checking on Henry to ensure he wasn't still chatting away or playing games.  Emma's voice cautioned her against it; the same argument they had just a few months after Neverland.  " _Henry is never gonna feel like you trust him if you don't leave him alone, Regina!  The kid needs space or he's gonna go crazy_!"  
  
Crazy like bright colors and racing hearts and poorly-painted swans bearing up runny crowns.  Regina touched her own lips, surprised at her smile.  In the dawn, she'd felt nothing but regret and terror but thinking later of hiding from tattletales and the rush of doing something so blatantly wrong...the Mayor swallowed down a giggle.  She had done a number of bad things in her life, things that worlds without magic had no frame of reference to judge, yet somehow breaking the simple laws of this world, of her own world, felt so freeing.  
  
Knocking ripped her from her musings and the Mayor slammed into place, nevermind the track pants and Storybrooke High hoodie.  Radiating grace and authority, Regina opened the door.  
  
"Come with me."  
  
Regina blinked, all pretense blown away.  "Emma?"  
  
The Sheriff looked mightily pissed and edgy.  She held a plastic grocery bag in one hand, the free limb extended towards Regina.  "C'mon, before I change my mind."  
  
"Henry is--"  
  
"Kid sleeps like the de-are you wearing my pants?"  
  
Regina's face flared with color.  "Wh-what?"  
  
Emma shook her head, a corner of her anger shorn smooth if the smile threatening at the corner of her mouth was true.  "Just...c'mon."  
  
She toed on a beat up pair of sneakers and grabbed her keys, locking up before following Emma down the walk.  "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yeah." she snorted.  "Went out on an real call - did you know there are actual kittens and mittens and that stupid rhyme from the curse?"  
  
Regina ducked into the patrol car.  "Ah, Mrs Pendrake's family.  They didn't grow tails and whiskers, did they?"  
  
"I'm glad you're laughing."  
  
"I still want to know what I'm doing out here at...oh."  When had it become ten thirty?  
  
"I got done helping them out and I get this call from Aurora.  She sounded mega-panicked so I rushed over to Granny's thinking someone's dying or Mulan lost an arm but I get there and..."  Emma scoffed in disgust.  "There they all freaking were.  Ruby and Mulan were in uniform, said they were there to give me the rest of the night off so I could celebrate Snow's goddamn babyshower with her."  
  
"...don't they usually have them in the day?"  
  
"Yeah, dunno if you've noticed from me going nuts but Snow's fucking wide awake all night and sleeping during the day.  Completely backwards!"  
  
"Never could do anything promptly." Regina muttered.  "Did..."  She frowned at her own hesitation.  "Was any of it for you?"  
  
Muscles jumped in Emma's cheek.  "Everyone's super-excited for them."  
  
Of course.  "Did you take the night off?"  
  
A genuine smile, though it edged more on smirk, stretched Emma's lips.  "You kidding?  I'm salary, any days off I get are golden!"  
  
"So why aren't you celebrating?"  Aside from the obvious, that was.  
  
Emma chuckled, dark and low.  "I asked her where you and Henry were.  She burst into pity-me tears and I...might have exploded.  David raised his voice, I upped the ante.  It got wicked ugly from there."  
  
"How am I involved in this family drama?"  
  
The Sheriff rolled to a gentle stop six houses down from Snow and David's 1950s two-story home.  They left the vehicle and Emma tossed something to Regina.  "We're gonna do at least one more of something stupid.  It's not as popular here - should be sensation news tomorrow."  
  
It bounced dangerously but Regina managed to catch, and not break, an egg.  Emma removed her vest, shirt, and duty belt, left with her gun and tanktop.  She covered those with her new favorite leather jacket and directed Regina out of the street light.  "Let's go."  


 

  
  
"I'll admit this is not what I thought you meant."  
  
"Heh...at first I was thinking something worse but this is good practice."  
  
Regina flicked her fingers, sending an egg shooting across the street to splatter over the Charming front door.  "Better?"  
  
Emma chuckled and released her hold, smirking when her egg ended up perfectly balanced and still on the gateway cross-beam.  
  
"You seem more relaxed."  
  
A shrug.  "I guess."  She floated another across the street, setting it down next to the other.  "Must be the company."  
  
The Mayor cleared her throat.  "You've improved."  
  
"Ooo, I need my calendar.  Banner day when I get a compliment about my magic."  
  
Regina rolled her eyes, poofing an egg from the bag to the tip of a white fence picket.  Emma had tried balancing on the pickets but ended up over-concentrating and exploded the eggs.  "I made you a torte."  
  
In her surprise, Emma lost her focus and sent an egg slamming into the cow-patched mailbox.  "A what?"  
  
"A cake, idiot." she grumbled, embarrassed that she said anything at all.  
  
"A fancy cake." Emma tossed an egg from hand to hand.  
  
"It isn't much."  
  
"Regina Mills not doing much?  Pardon my disbelief, Madame Mayor."  
  
"It could be box-cake."  
  
"When hell freezes over.  You do quality work.  Be proud."  
  
Regina was glad for the darkness as warmth washed over her face.  "Henry ate half of it."  
  
"Spoiled brat."  
  
"Says the princess egging her mother's house."  
  
"Heh." Emma grinned, chucking the egg.  It splashed onto the walkway.  "You gotta admit it's kinda fun.  These things peel paint like acid."  
  
"I suppose it will be fun.  Every egg I've placed has something of a...proximity trigger."  
  
"Really?" Emma looked positively gleeful.  
  
"Of course.  Even if they don't walk by all of them, they'll try to take them off."  
  
"Oh my god, you're fucking evil and I love it!"  
  
Regina didn't have a moment to process the term, stuck on 'love' and the way Emma pulled her close in a one-armed hug.  Her fingers slowly scraped over the leather covering Emma's back but the Savior drew away all too quickly.  "Hey, let's see if I can do this!"  
  
"Emma..." she cautioned, but it was too late.  
  
Emma took three eggs, juggled them for a moment, and then let her magic take over.  Two more floated up from the highly dwindled supply, breaking the pattern to float around like pixies.  Traces of blue magic trailed off the shells as they swung about in a ring, flying around Emma's head.  
  
"Miss Swan."  
  
"Just a sec."  
  
Green eyes narrowed as Emma picked her targets and flung the eggs towards them.  
  
All five struck but only two hit their goals.  Three smacked into a passing car.  "Oh shit..."  
  
Tires screeched but before the guilty pair could scramble away, firm hands had a hold of Emma.  "Don't struggle and you won't be hurt!"  
  
"Bullshit!" she growled.  "Let her go!"  
  
"Emma?"  
  
"Mayor Mills?!"  
  
"Fuck, Mulan, get off me!"  
  
"Unhand me this instant, Miss Lucas."  
  
Ruby yelped at the icy tone, jumping back without removing the handcuffs.  She looked between the captured 'pranksters', confusion warping her features.  "Regina...Emma...?"  
  
Mulan rubbed her eyes but followed Ruby's lead and kept the cuffs on, glowering right back at her boss.  "Sheriff Swan."  
  
"What the hell?!"  
  
"That's my line!" Ruby gawked.  "You and the Mayor egging your mothers house?!"  
  
Her voice rose in volume until it pierced.  Mulan winced and folded her arms across her chest.  "I'm sure there's a good explanation."  
  
"I'm sure there is, Deputy."  
  
"Oh fuck you, Regina, you're just as guilty!"  
  
"Of many things, Miss Swan, but something so childish?  I think not."  
  
Ruby cocked her head when Emma laughed.  She was probably just tired but it looked like Regina was almost smiling.  The damp, curling hair and rough outfit was all too much to absorb on top of that.  Wait...were those Emma's pants?  "Uh...well, Madame Mayor, it's at least accessory to the crime."  
  
"Not to mention Criminal Mischief, to start." Mulan arched a brow at them, thoroughly unimpressed with Regina's snarl.  
  
"Christ, Mulan, just get me out of these things, yeah?  I had a fight with my...with Snow and David.  Hell, you two were there for it!  I had to blow of some steam."  Emma snorted.  "Not like it's hurting anyone."  
  
"It _is_ damaging private property, though.  Let's go."  
  
"I'm your boss and I've been damn good to you, Mulan.  You would'a paced a hole in the floor looking for something to do without my offer!  Ever heard of professional courtesy?"  
  
"No."  She did seem momentarily regretful.  "I'm grateful for the job but I will uphold the law per the duties you perscribed.  Please do not make me force you."  
  
Ruby extended an arm towards the car.  "Mayor Mills."  
  
Regina huffed and handed Ruby her cuffs, chin high even as she sat primly in the back of the 'deputy's' car - Michael's pet-project for the police department.  The interior was refinished and the engine running at peak but the exterior...well, the eggs didn't exactly harm anything.  Emma extended her cuffed hands in pleading but Regina ignored her.  Magic could remove her from the situation but that meant the deputies would follow her home and wake Henry.  No way in any hell was he going to see Regina get arrested!  
  
"So...who should I call to bail you guys out?  Snow should still be-"  
  
" **No**!" they barked as one.  Regina was pleased to see Ruby flinch.  
  
"O-kay.  I think we should let them go."  
  
"Deputy Lucas, the law states-"  
  
"Don't 'Lucas' me, Mulan.  It's a stupid one-time misdemeanor.  I did you right by not arresting your girl for hustling at the Rabbit Hole, didn't I?"  
  
"And you fucking arrested **ME**?" Emma kicked at Mulan's seat.  
  
"You're not exactly acting like a respectable Sheriff, are you?" she growled.  "Ruby, you have ties to both of them so I can understand why you feel..."  
  
Emma leaned over, tuning her employees out.  "You have _ties_ to Ruby?"  
  
Regina scoffed.  "Not the way your tone implies."  
  
"Uh-huh.  Twenty-eight years is a long damn time, Madame Mayor and you only had Henry the last ten of it.  People get bored with the day-in day-out."  
  
"I'm bored with your adolescent brain."  
  
"Right.  So you got bored.  Maybe you...played some chess.  Built a card-castle?  Oh!  Started a stamp-collecting club!"  
  
Caramel eyes rolled and Regina shoved the Savior away by her face.  "Quiet, Swan."  
  
Ruby and Mulan continued to bicker the pros and cons of arresting their boss (and their boss' boss) and in the midst, Regina noticed Emma keeping an all-too-keen eye towards Mulan.  It looked very much like the Sheriff was going to work some magic but after an hour's practice with exploding eggs, the brunette was just a touch concerned Emma might blow Mulan's head to bits.  She barely reached for Emma when the car sputtered to a stop, the manual transmission death-rattling after an alarming jerk.  Mulan yelped and grabbed at her ankles, swearing in her native tongue when she found her own cuffs locked there.  " _Sheriff Swan_!"  
  
Emma sprawled in the back of the cruiser, one free arm stretched along the top of the seat.  "Problem, Deputy?"  
  
Ruby howled with laughter.  Mulan snarled at her to shut up.  Emma walked her fingers across the seat edge to prod the Mayor's shoulder, giving her a wink.  Regina tried very hard to not smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Emma threatened to cuff Mulan's nose to her ear if the deputy tried to restrain her again.  The technical skill required was beyond her grasp but it was an effective threat.    
  
"Your gun, Sheriff."  
  
"Mulan.  You're a damn good officer but you're holding a kangaroo-court, here."  Mulan frowned, unfamiliar with the reference.  Or kangaroos.  Emma sighed.  "No, Mulan."  
  
Ruby bit her tongue to keep from laughing when her sister deputy wrote in 'refused to relinquish lethal weapon...action pending.'  "Mayor Mills, I trust you're not carrying anything as dangerous?"  
  
With all the stubborn pride and sarcasm of Emma, though three times the dignity, Regina just settled her hands in the joey-pouch of her hoodie.  "Of course not, Miss Lucas."  
  
"Let's have a statement, then."  
  
No notepad, no tape recorder.  Just Ruby's shit-eating grin and Mulan's dour glowering.  "Sheriff Swan and I were engaged in magical practice.  As the whole town knows, her accuracy is spotty at best."  Emma groused something under her breath.  "Eggs are a plentiful material for target practice."  
  
"And Snow's house was...in the way?"  
  
Emma did nothing to hold back her dark amusement, heels propped on her desk as she leaned back in her chair.  "I'm sure she'll love the redecorating when she gets home."  
  
It was nice to have Ruby in their corner, being as dedicated to Snow as she was.  Emma felt much better about their chances and Regina didn't seem preturbed at all, as though feeding off of Mulan's bitter mood.  The deputy was brought on and no straighter(ish) shooter had ever been known to law enforcement.  She had no concept of 'going easy' and toted the tome of Storybrooke law around like a bible.  
  
Ruby cocked her brow.  "And the vehicle?"  
  
"An accident." Emma shrugged.  "One little miscalculation and magic goes crazy."  
  
Mulan grunted.  "I'm sure miscalculations were responsible for the broken eggs on Snow White's mailbox, walkway, front door, and a dozen places on the front facade."  
  
"Emma is still learning to control her magic." Regina chimed in, ignorant to the way Ruby's ears damn-near perked.  
  
"Why did you go along with this, Madame Mayor?  It seems rather...low-brow entertainment."  
  
She narrowed her eyes at Mulan, unimpressed with the challenge.  "Should Miss Swan's magic 'go crazy', would you rather a reformed villain help or take a chance that Rumpelstiltskin is feeling generous?"  
  
"Are you reformed?" Emma snickered.  "Aren't they supposed to give you a certificate when you finish?"  
  
The phone interrupted Regina's retort.  Mulan snatched it up, eyes widening at whatever she was told.  By the way she glared at the guilty pair, they knew exactly what had happened.  Regina's smirk was straight out of the Enchanted Forest and Emma looked at the ceiling, whistling.  "I see.  I'll be there shortly."  
  
Ruby licked her lips.  "What happened?"  
  
Mulan stood, the desk creaking as she leaned over it.  "Your target-practice eggs just exploded on Snow and Charming.  Another miscalculation?"  
  
Emma developed a sudden, terrible coughing fit, dragging her feet to the floor so she could hunch over her knees, back tense and twitching.  Regina smiled all through Mulan scowling and leaving in a huff.  Then she slapped the back of Emma's head.  "OW!  Regiinnaaaa!"  
  
"You're an idiot."  
  
"That's no reason to hit, Madame Mayor!"  
  
"But it is the truth, dear."  
  
Ruby took a seat on Emma's desk, crossing one leg over the other.  Her...modifications to the uniform were subtle but effective; tighter pants, taking in the shirt to make a waist.  Emma gawked at the black high-heeled boots.  "You arrested Regina in vice-boots?"  
  
"Don't change the subject, Swan."  
  
Emma jabbed the tip of her tongue at her friend.  "So...we're gonna leave now, okay?"  
  
"Hold it."  
  
"Miss Lucas."  
  
"Aw, Ruby!"  
  
"What'd you set up at Snow's?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Ruby looked pointedly at Regina.  "I know Emma is still magic-lite so whatever's got their shorts in a twist now has to be the work of a master."  
  
Regina scoffed but didn't take Emma's enjoyment of her prank into account.  The Savior blurted her confession with a hearty laugh.  "Oh god, Ruby!  She's got these eggs all set up on the fence, yeah?  They explode whenever anyone comes near 'em!  So even if you just try and pick them up, **boom**!"  
  
She looked between them as Emma's amusement died down.  "Mulan's kinda right.  That was a shit thing to do to your mum, Emma."  
  
Emma's pleasant front became cold stone.  "Hey, I had reasons."  
  
"Yeah?"  Ruby's brows lifted, her arms folding over her chest.  
  
The Sheriff scrubbed her hands over her face.  "Fuck, Ruby, it's my damn birthday today but all anyone's talked about is Snow-Snow-baby-blah-blah-Snow.  It's not enough she's gonna get the kid she wanted, but then I got kicked in the gut and yelled at because I wouldn't play nice.  Snow's _sooooo_ sensitive right now.  I'm calling bullshit!"  
  
"Your birthday..." Ruby's hard expression turned to compassion and guilt, hands unfolding to grip the desk edge.  "I didn't even...why didn't you say anything?"  
  
Emma shrugged, nonchalance seeping from her skin like thin armor.  "Who wants to celebrate the day they were thrown away?"  
  
"Emma!  You know that's not how it was!"  
  
"Yeah but...y'know what?  Fuck it."  She rubbed at her eyes as though tired.  "My parents can push out as many True-fucking-Love babies as they want.  Hell, maybe David'll put out one or two."  
  
Regina snorted inelegantly, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.  Ruby marvelled but then the images caught up with the words and she reeled.  "Oh god, _my eyes_ Emma!!"  
  
"Shall we go, then, Miss Swan?"  
  
"Hey, wait!  Stand up." Ruby ordered.  Emma complied, startling when Ruby swept in for a hug.  "Happy birthday," the brunette mumbled into the leather coat.  
  
Emma returned the embrace after a moment, relaxing.  "Thanks."  
  
"Now!  For your present!"  
  
"Ruby, I don't nee-"  
  
The deputy held up a hand.  "Nope, nope!  For your birthday present, Emma Swan, I'm going to beat Regina to the punch line."  
  
Regina arched a brow, just daring Emma to comment.  
  
"See this file?" Ruby held up Mulan's superb penmanship and ripped it in half.  "I'll tell Mulan the dog ate her homework."  
  
The Mayor cleared her throat suspciously, turning to push her chair back under the proper desk.  
  
Emma smirked.  "She is gonna be pissed at you."  
  
"Ah well...but now the fun part of your present because it's sort of a present for me too!"  
  
That drew their undivided attentions.  
  
Ruby grinned, cunning and savage.  "You two have to promise to leave Snow alone with the pranks.  I get that she's...needy," Regina's muttering was ignored.  "but let's call a peace treaty, yeah?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"And don't you two dare spray-paint Granny's alleyway ever again!"  
  
"Wh-What?!" Emma gulped.  
  
Ruby rolled her eyes.  "Oh please don't act so surprised!  Hello!  Wolf!  I could hear you two drunken loons giggling a mile away!"  
  
Regina flushed, glaring at her partner in crime.  "I told you it was unwise, Miss Swan!"  
  
"Oh Regina, nice work on Gold's." the brunette snickered.  "Looked like a buncha young douchbags laid into his shop.  My favorite had to be the swans, though.  All with crowns!"  
  
"Yeah, Regina ruined my-ow!  Stop hitting me!"  
  
"Miss Lucas, I can assure you that will never happen again."  
  
"The best part was that it looked so deliberately like someone was trying to get _you_ in trouble, Emma, that Mulan looked right over you.  Stroke of genius!"  
  
"If only it were that."  
  
"Give me **some** credit!"  
  
Regina rolled her eyes.  "Are we free to go, deputy?"  
  
"Regina made me some kind of fancy cake for my birthday."  
  
Ruby's eyes fell on the Mayor, who fidgeted under the knowing stare.  "You know today's Emma's birthday?"  
  
"Of course." she gathered herself, standing tall.  "How could I forget the day a vagrant came into my perfect town and turned things upside down?"  
  
Emma made a face, Ruby smirked, looking between them for a few seconds of personal amusement.  "Damn, you two owe me so big.  Go home.  Have your special fancy cake."

  
  
They didn't risk the walk back to Emma's patrol car, past Snow's house, so hoofed it across town to Mifflin Street.  Regina poured them both generous glasses of cider and they sat at the kitchen island, discussing the following day's plan while eating leftovers and brownie-mousse torte that Emma very vocally proclaimed to be the best she'd ever had.  With the clock ticking past midnight, Regina turned her mind towards sleep and the possibility of containing the curls her wet hair had dried to.  
  
"Hey...uh...you mind if I stay here for tonight?"  Emma slapped her solid stomach.  "I'm kinda full and you never know.  I might just pass out on McGuffrey's lawn and sleep there for the night."  
  
"It would be a step up from the park benches." Regina chuckled.  "Very well, Mis-Emma.  Come along."  
  
Emma followed as bade, eyes darting about after she had the thought that Regina aught to wear her track pants more often.  "Henry asleep?" she asked for want of a distraction.  
  
"Shh."  
  
She almost ran flush into Regina, stopping just short.  "Oop!"  
  
"Here."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Regina smirked.  "The guestroom.  Unless you prefer the couch?"  
  
"Oh, no..no, no, this is...a bed's good."  
  
"Then good night, Emma."  
  
"Yeah...g'night Regina."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mulan is flat and annoying right now. Apologies as well, I try to keep things neat and moving but it's all word-vomit-rambling when I struggle. :s


	3. Fourteen

"I didn't order this."  
  
"I know." Ruby smirked, giving them a wink before sauntering off to other customers.  
  
Emma scooped out a few healthy swallows of milkshake, taking brain-freeze over acknowledging the bewildered and annoyed look Regina was giving her.  
  
"Miss Swan?"  
  
"Emma, Regina.  Say it with me.  Eh-ma."  
  
"Em-ma, what is this?"  
  
"It's a milkshake.  You let Henry have one once a week?"  
  
"And you spoil his appetite with them.  Why is there one in front of me?"  
  
"Live a little, Regina.  Lemon water has to lose its appeal after a while."  
  
"You expect me to drink this?"  
  
"It's coffee flavored," she taunted, tapping her spoon against Regina's glass.  
  
"It's wasted on me."  
  
"Yeah?"  Emma dove in, stealing a thick scoop.  
  
"Emma!" Regina scowled, covering her milkshake with both hands.  
  
"Wha?  You wer'n gonna eat it!" she mumbled around shake and a frozen tongue.  
  
Not without the over-straightening of her back, and a touch of priss, Regina took up her own spoon, scooping some of the coffee-shake into her mouth.    
  
"You're the only person in town that can make eating at Granny's some formal event."  
  
The bell signaled new customers, distracting Regina from her retort.  Emma's brows rose slightly at the hardening of the Mayor's expression.  "Snow."  
  
"Hello Regina."  
  
They would never be friends.  Given a dozen lifetimes, Snow and Regina would still end up at opposite ends of an empty room, speaking through their eyes as both knew mouths would lie.  Regina took a deliberate scoop of the shake, drawing Snow's eyes to it and, in turn, Emma slowly stirring her own.  "So good to see you out and about during the day."  
  
Snow's lips eased into an unwilling smile.  "Yes, it's good to not be a zombie anymore.  Seems it was just a phase for the baby.  Three months of tantrums, I suppose."  
  
"I hope that's no indication of temperment."  
  
It was more to fill the gap than anything for Emma bent her spoon in a white-knuckle grip.  The Sheriff still hadn't turned around, staring holes into the schedule-chart hanging across the bar.  
  
"Hopefully not." Snow parroted, eyes sliding to Emma's red-jacketed back.  
  
David cleared his throat.  "I think the lunch rush is about to start.  I'll secure a table for us, okay?"  
  
Not one woman acknowledged his departure.  Half-turned away from the counter, it belatedly occured to Regina that she was positioned to defend Emma.  One of her knees was also pressed into the Sheriff's thigh and Regina applied a little force, spurring the blonde to action.  Resentment oiled each of Emma's motions when she turned.  "Hey Snow."  
  
"Emma.  It's good to see you.  You haven't been by for...a while."  
  
"Yeah, been busy with work."  
  
Regina had to work to hold down her surprise.  Emma Swan lying bold-faced to her mother - undermining the truth and honesty junk that Snow like to prattle on about.  She knew for a fact Emma had been 'slumming it' for the past month.  Snow called a very public meeting about the recent sprees of vandalism that required Emma to be in attendance but the Sheriff snubbed her and sent Mulan in her stead, abusing whatever Ruby held over the deputy's head to ensure Mulan kept her teeth together.  Since then Emma had been 'busy' with some video game and 'working' that was mostly patrolling neighborhoods on a lackadaisical foot-beat while listening to her iPod.  She also spent more than one afternoon-to-evening at the mayoral mansion, learning a bit more about cooking instead of destroying appliances.  
  
Emma's lack of interest in Snow's paranoia stung but rather than chasing Emma, her mother seemed content to quietly guilt her from afar.  Fortunately, Emma wasn't having any of it and to Regina's delight, the efforts only made Emma more bitter against her mother.  
  
Snow's jaw tightened.  "Yes, I've been told.  Since you seem to have a moment, would you mind joining us for lunch?"  
  
A blonde brow spiked up.  Silence stretched thin and brittle until Emma scoffed.  "I'm having lunch with Regina right now."  
  
Blinking in realization, Snow was quick to placate.  "You're welcome to join us, Regina."  
  
A shame it sounded like she was pulling nails out of her hip by asking.  Regina looked to the far corner of the diner, where Henry was surrounded by a pile of friends from the track lineup.  He'd blown them away at tryouts, securing a spot on the team, and when his allowance came due, boasted the lurid elastic cords he'd been so desparate to buy.  Compliments didn't even make him blush anymore.  He would just smile and accept it.  Her little boy was growing up, leaving her in the most gentle, horrible way possible.  Perhaps that's why after Neverland, she and Emma became so close.  They were the only two to know the feeling.  "I don't think so, but thank you."  
  
No Regina, no Emma.  Snow's smile became brittle.  "I insist."  
  
"Looks like David picked a table for two anyway, Snow.  Some other time."  
  
Watery green eyes met Emma's red-jacketed back again but Snow managed to turn away without a fight.  Regina turned back to the counter, noting that her friend had stolen more of her shake.  "Don't think I'm going soft but you seem to be going pretty hard on your delicate mother, dear."  
  
"They don't even realize why I'm pissed as hell at them." Emma snitched another bite.  "I'm tired of them trying to figure it out."  
  
"So you're hiding in my kitchen and lazing on your couch all day because you can't explain it to them?"  
  
"I shouldn't have to."  Another spoonful.  "And I'm not hiding in your kitchen."  
  
"Really, dear?"   
  
Emma turned to meet Regina's eye, utterly serious.  "I want to be there."  
  
Regina stalled in the face of such blunt honesty.  
  
That gave Emma time to smile, chuckling as she broke eye contact, poking around her lunch.  "I mean, you might regret letting me near your stuff but I appreciate it, yanno?"  
  
She didn't.  Given time and patience, things Regina never imagined having in stock let alone reserve, Emma had evolved from burning water to making two and three person meals from scratch.  Granted, she wasn't to the point of making her own pasta but then again, Emma might never reach Regina's level of from-scratch.  The amount of pride the Sheriff showed in making the simpliest things, and having them come out right, caused a bitter-sweet physical ache in Regina.  
  
"Hey Ma!"  
  
"Hey kid.  Finish this for me, yeah?"  
  
"Yeah?  Cool!"  
  
"Yes, Miss Swan seems intent on eating mine instead."  
  
"It tasted better.  I think Ruby put more into yours than mine."  
  
"Well I am the Mayor, dear.  When did you start liking the taste of coffee, Henry?"  
  
He gulped down more shake to keep from answering.  Emma was certainly not a morning person so when he fixed coffee to rouse her on school mornings, he had been taking small cups for himself.  It wasn't so terrible after half a pound of sugar.  
  
"I thought I tasted caramel in them."  
  
"More latte than coffee?  That would be Ruby."  Emma stole more of the mayor's shake.  
  
"The gang and I are gonna head down to the bordwalk to race against the joggers and their dogs.  Andy says I can't hold distance for shit."  
  
"Language!"  
  
Henry shied, blushing, but Emma just slapped his shoulder.  "You're skinny and quick, that's why your a sprinter."  
  
"I can do distances!"  
  
The Sheriff wasn't going to debate it.  He was already talking about aiming for hurdling next, interests pinballing around the gamut.  "Alright, wear your jacket, though.  You're gonna heat up quick but that wind'll suck it right outta ya."  
  
"Be careful and keep your feet up.  You don't want to trip over a loose board."  
  
"I got this, mom.  See ya later!"  
  
Emma stole a forkful of Regina's salad while the brunette watched their son leave.  
  
"Why don't you just order a salad for yourself?" she sighed.  
  
"It's all your fault.  You keep making me eat salads until I want salads.  And you eat half my fries!"  
  
"You can thank me when you don't die of a heart attack." Regina snipped with a tiny smirk.  
  
"Nah, my cause of death will be terminal bickering.  Or fatal nagging."  
  
"I do not nag!"  
  
"Yeah, okay." she rolled her eyes.  
  
Regina changed the subject before she fried the town's only Sheriff.  "Will you bring Henry by on Friday?  Don't forget I have that class."  
  
"How could I forget?  You're both always damn excited to work on dressage."  
  
"It's not half as formal as what they have here.  The Enchanted Forest called for a very different set of rules."  
  
Rules like combat on horseback and learning to move with the beast when giving it commands to kick or rear at invisible foes.  Henry wasn't doing so well on that - he bruised his left shoulder purple and black by misreading and plowing into his horse's neck.  That was one bad day but he couldn't ride for two weeks.  "I'm always there to watch."  
  
"I was hoping you might participate."  
  
Emma blinked.  She brought Henry to the class and she always stayed through it, watching from the sidelines.  However Regina's student body was rather small thanks to her spotty reputation and it made the Savior sad to see since Regina became an entirely new person on horseback.  When teaching she was incredibly calm and gentle and just...happy.  God her face lit up when she was happy!  Emma sighed.  "You keep asking me.  You really want to see me break my neck that badly?"  
  
The brunette's expression clouded over.  "I'm hoping that seeing the Savior participating and not simply warding me from the sidelines might help potential students relax enough to join.  I'm not even charging for the class, Emma."  
  
"I'm not there as some sort of guard, you know that."  
  
"But the kids and their parents don't.  You are the thin blue line in this town and people see you as the first and last defense of them and their families."  She silenced Emma's approaching 'bullshit' with a glare.  "Either you show trust by leaving me alone with them or you participate and show trust that I'm not out to hurt anyone."  
  
"I trust you."  
  
"Then prove it."  
  
Emma grimaced.  "You're poofing me to the hospital when I break my tailbone."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Why are you taking her side?"  
  
Aurora sighed, eyes rolling shut.  "I'm not taking anyone's side, Mulan.  I just think you should be nicer.  It's a small town, not a military brigade."  
  
"I'm very nice.  I stopped giving out tickets for jaywalking."  
  
"And I'm sure the parents living right across the street from the elementary school are ever so grateful."  
  
"You're mocking me."  
  
"Certainly not."  
  
"How's the meditation coming, ladies?"  
  
"Fine.  Go away." Mulan grumped.  
  
Aside from telemarketers, junkmail, and a slew of record-fast updates to code, joining the real world meant embracing the zeitgeist.  Nineteen year old Adrian Hendricks abandoned his 28 year job at the gas station to start yoga classes and, armed with little more than a charming smile, was making a killing among the princesses.  Aurora, who loved all things modern and shiny, jumped into the classes head-first and dragged Mulan along when the warrior would much rather be...well, anywhere else.  Especially when young mister Hendricks kept stealing glances down Aurora's top.  
  
"We're fine, Adrian.  Just a little disagreement."  
  
"Anything I can help resolve?"  
  
"Oh, no.  No but thank you."  
  
He knelt, speaking softly about correcting Aurora's posture.  When his hand inched a little too far down the princess' back, Mulan jabbed a leg out, 'accidentally' landing her heel into the meat of Adrian's thigh.  He cried out and jumped up, stuck between glowering and scraping together his professional mask.  Mulan smiled with a few teeth too many to be apologetic.  "Muscle cramp.  Sorry."  
  
"Ah-huh...no problem.  Try breathing a little deeper, closing your eyes maybe."  He gave them a bitter nod and moved on to other clients.  
  
"Mulan!"  
  
"What?"  She abandoned the pretense of rubbing out her calf.  
  
"Don't 'what' me like you don't know what I'm talking about!"  
  
"He was being rude..." the warrior grumbled.  
  
"You always say that."  
  
"Well it's always true.  Why would I lie?"  
  
Aurora hummed and closed her eyes, wrists dangling over her knees.  She didn't much enjoy the meditation part of this whole 'yoga' thing, it made her sleepy and irritable.  All that perfectly good energy worked up and then wasted by being still for fifteen minutes!  According to all she'd read, though, it was a part of the practice and Aurora was nothing if not rule-bound.  
  
Sort of.  Sometimes.  When the rules fit her desires.  
  
She cracked an eye open when another knee bumped into her left.  Mulan, who was all-too at ease with this meditation bit (for the love of the gods, she even did it at home!), had scooted closer; using contact in lieu of an apology.  The princess felt her lips tug up into a small smile and she reached over to tug on Mulan's pinky, spotting the minute twitch of the warrior's lips.  
  
Adrian called an end to the day's session, freeing Aurora to stand and shake feeling back into her right foot as Mulan rolled their mats up.  
  
"Lady Aurora!"  
  
"Princess." Mulan corrected with a glare.  
  
"Titles of the old world don't seem to mean much here." Aurora soothed, smiling as Adrian approached.  "What can I do for you?"  
  
His charming grin reappeared while he brushed the hair from his face.  "I know we've been doing this for a while but I was wondering if you'd like to get dinner tonight?  I know a good place for fish and chips."  
  
She stared at him dumbly for a moment, wondering in awe.  How couldn't he have known?  After Mulan made quite the scene at the Rabbit Hole, everyone aught to have known!  Especially since Ruby was present!  Still, she smiled kindly and reached back to take Mulan's hand, resting it on her stomach.  If the warrior pulled her a little too tight, a little too possessive, it didn't occur to Aurora.  "I'm actually unavailable, Adrian.  But thank you."  
  
He blushed lightly.  "O-oh...weren't you dating that guy?  Phillip?"  
  
Both their expressions stoned over.  "Prince Phillip," Mulan emphasized his title, "Gave much to ensure Henry, and the rest of us, returned home.  Be careful what you say."  
  
Adrian held his hands out, palms forward.  "Hey, hey!  I just...well, I'll see you two next week."  He took a few steps backwards.  "But if you two are ever interested..."  
  
Aurora bit down on her tongue to stop a snort dead.  
  
Besides, Mulan did it for her.  "He has some big dreams."  
  
"Oh yuck.  I don't want to think that he's imagining..." her face screwed up in disgust.  "Uhg!  Nevermind, let's just go."  
  
Outside a line of children and parents had formed up, each child in a white gi and bouncing with excitement as they waited for their turn at the studio.  Even in casual clothing, Mulan was both an intimidating sight and legend.  Children stared up at her in awe, eager to be her now that time was moving forward.  It made her dreadfully uncomfortable.  She was a warrior, not a hero.  
  
"Aren't they cute?"  
  
"They're...excited."  
  
"Oh you remember being their age.  Didn't you want to be a martial-arts master, then?"  
  
Mulan frowned.  She remembered watching her father training in the courtyard, of getting beaten when she tried to emulate him in her silk gowns and ripped the fabrics.  There was a sack she kept hidden in the house, stuffed with ratty old boy's clothing that she could slide into and practice in the moonlight, dreaming of massive warhorses and impossibly beautiful princesses.  She remembered thinking of war as some grand adventure until her father came home wounded and never again walked without a severe limp.  "I try to avoid thinking about it."  
  
There were things Phillip and Mulan shared that Aurora feared she would never know.  Still, even if she wasn't the dead prince, she was there for the warrior and grabbed her hand, squeezing briefly.  Mulan smiled, squeezed back, and the heavyness in her eyes lifted.  "Should we get fish and chips for dinner?"  
  
Mulan chuckled, waiting while Aurora answered the chiming of her phone.  Modern and Shiny included the function and variety of cell phones available.  Aurora had been through two dozen before settling on a model more like what the police department was upgraded to.  After her initial shock and terror, she was endlessly amused by the variety of games and the chat functions.  If they happened to be across town from one another, Mulan always received a call within the hour, Aurora preferring that function above all others.  
  
"...how are you?  Oh, um...yes, she's right here."    
  
Mulan's brows lifted as Aurora offered the phone.  
  
"Apparently yours is dead or turned off?"  
  
Of course - she hated the stupid device and only turned it on when on-call or away from her princess.  Mulan pressed the phone to her ear.  "Mulan here."  
  
"Thank god you two are attached at the hip!"  
  
She growled.  "Sheriff Swan.  A pleasure as always."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, not the time to fuck around with grudges, Mulan.  I need you to do a sweep and look for Henry.  He's not answering his phone and Regina's two steps from involving Gold.  She tried her magic-gps trick but got nothing."  
  
Hmph.  With all the time Emma and Regina spent together anymore, the Sheriff was the last to speak of being attached at anything!  Mulan grunted, taking a higher road.  "Very well.  Should I focus somewhere specific?"  
  
"Ruby's checking the forest edge and I've got David with me to help search the West half of town.  Can you and Aurora take the East?  Henry said he was going with some friends down to the bordwalk a few hours ago but none of them have seen him."  
  
"Aurora is not a member of the police department."  
  
"Yeah, I'll double your pay for the time, Mulan, just help me out before I start losing chunks of my hide!"  
  
The line went dead and the warrior sighed, handing the phone off.  "Henry is missing.  Again."  
  
"We should chip him like they do the shelter animals!"  
  
"I believe that's illegal."  Not to mention a little morally grey.  Then again, this was Henry.  It wouldn't be a year in Storybrooke without him fucking off somewhere unknown.  
  
"Oh?  Well, it was worth a shot."  
  
"Come on.  We've got the East half."  
  
  
  
  
  
As the sky faded to black, Regina's worry increased exponentially.  Henry had been gone for hours before, his sojourn to retrieve Emma chief among them, but he'd been good about keeping in touch since getting his own cell phone, especially if he planned to be late.  After lunch, they parted ways and Emma went home to take a nap.  When she woke, it was naturally and not the anticipated alarm of Henry clopping through the door.  He wasn't home so Emma called Regina - perhaps the kid had just gone by to pick something up and got distracted.  However she hadn't seem him either and from there, the Sheriff and Mayor went into overdrive.  
  
So when a knock sounded at her front door, Regina hoped Henry had just forgotten his keys and threw the portal open.  "Henry?!"  
  
But it was Snow and the Queen shored up frigid walls in the space of a heartbeat.  "What do you want?"  
  
"Any word on Henry?"  
  
"No."  But it wasn't as if Snow needed to ask.  No doubt David was keeping her updated to the minute while Emma worked the grindstone.  
  
"I was hoping we could...talk?"  
  
"I'm waiting for someone."  
  
"Emma."  
  
"Ruby, if you must be nosy." she scoffed.  "I sent her off on a new search."  
  
"Well, I really wanted to talk to you about Emma."  
  
It was just an edge, broad as a hair, of the imperious royal Snow once was.  Regina rolled her eyes but walked away from the door, moving back to her living room to wait.  She lounged in a chair, dominating the space with pure presence.  "What is it about Miss Swan that cannot wait until my son is found?"  
  
"Oh that's another thing, isn't it?" Snow settled with all the grace she could muster, hands curled protectively around her belly even knowing Regina wouldn't harm her.  Not then.  "He's not really yours anymore, is he?  I mean, you both say 'me' and 'my' and 'mine' but he's become both of yours in truth."  
  
"You came to debate parentage and possessives?"  
  
"No, no..."  
  
She stalled, looking uncomfortable enough for Regina to relax and sip at her cider.  Any other guest and she might, might have offered a drink, even water, but she'd rather the pregnant princess didn't get comfortable.   
  
"I know Emma hasn't been busy these last weeks.  I know she's been deliberately avoiding us."  
  
The urge to clap in mocking was reduced to a simple drum of Regina's fingers on the fine fabric.  
  
"I know she's upset with us about something but...I don't know what it could be."  
  
Silence stretched until Regina realized she was due to speak.  "And you think I know this?"  
  
Snow's eyes narrowed.  "Emma's spent more time in this house than with her family ever since I found out I was pregnant."  
  
"This bothers you?"  
  
"It's more that it doesn't bother you that bothers me."  
  
"You'll have to be more clear, dear...in a moment."  
  
Snow fiddled with a small tuft of fray on her jacket until Regina returned from answering the door, gesturing for Ruby to have a seat.  The wolf chose to sit next to Snow, squeezing her knee.  "How ya doing?"  
  
"Tired." she smiled.  
  
"I bet.  Ah, thanks."  
  
Ruby sipped at the cider as Regina retook her chair, eyes snapping to Snow.  "You were saying, dear?"  
  
Snow girdled herself to plunge forward.  "Before Neverland, you two were...starting to become friends, I suppose.  But you were still very untrusting of one another.  We were gone a week, Regina.  One week on a wild tour of a deadly jungle without time for anything but Henry and surviving and yet when we came back, you were..."  
  
"Spit it out, dear."  
  
"Somehow you were closer." she sighed, puzzling with a frown.  "I still don't understand it."  
  
"We share custody of Henry - we were bound to get closer one way or another."  
  
"The Regina I knew didn't share anything, least of all loved ones."  
  
Muscles in Regina's jaw jumped and Ruby warningly squeezed Snow's knee.  
  
"Perhaps, dear, you need to reexamine what you think you know."  
  
"I know she's been spending time here, Regina!  She's...I...what is she doing here?  You two used to be enemies and now you're...you're...!  I want my daughter back!"  
  
"I'm sure I threw away the last of my manacles and chains, dear.  Nothing sinister is calling Emma here but Henry."  And food.  Food beyond a doubt.  "I've given Miss Swan a few lessons in cooking as well so she might properly feed our son when he stays with her."  
  
Snow shook her head against the truth.  "She's upset and you know why!  Please, tell me what I need to do to fix this!"  
  
The horrible part was that the only fix was one Regina wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.  Anymore, at least.  "That is a price you are not willing to pay, Snow."  
  
"I am willing to do anything to get her away from you!"  
  
A deathly silence followed her angry cry, broken by the snap and pop of the fireplace.  Snow's eyes had widened in surprise for just a moment, reverting to conviction and that nauseating sense of 'right' she used to justify everything.  Regina took a firm swallow of cider and stood, moving in a way that had Ruby's hackles twitching.  "You want to know how to fix your daughter, Snow White?  You want her to be how she was?  Go to Whale and have him rip that spawn from your belly!"  
  
Snow held her stomach defensively, anger flushing her pale face.  "You're insane!  Emma told us!  Emma promised us she was...is..."  
  
Regina smirked as cruelly as possible.  "Your precious first-born told you exactly what you wanted to hear, Snow, because you can't possibly live in a world where someone doesn't love you and yours!"  
  
She leapt to her feet, glaring with all the fire she was being glared at.  "I've done just fine with you!"  
  
"Oh, poor, poor Snow White.  Too stupid to see what's right in front of you."  
  
"All I see is a dark heart luring my daughter away from me!"  
  
"Because you can't look around and see how you've hurt your own."  Her glare turned to pity.  "You don't think Emma knows what this child means to you?  How desperately you wished for a child to raise from birth?  A good, kind, perfect little child in your spotless image.  A child that you are secretly grateful will be nothing like Emma."  She scoffed.  "She comes to me because I know what she is.  I see the dark and the light and I don't wish for her to be better, for her to be good!"  
  
"It's...it's not possible!"  
  
"What, Snow?  That your daughter could find it so relieving to have a place without judgement?  A place that she can be free to be who she is and not a woman forced into a role?"  
  
"Stay away from Emma, Regina."  Snow eyed her with a new wariness mixed with shock and rage.  "Stay away from my daughter and my family!"  
  
"I told you, Emma comes to me.  Willingly.  What's to stop that?"  
  
"You kill everything you touch!"  
  
Regina punched her before the idea became a conscious one.  A solid right swing and Snow's teeth were nice and red.  Ruby was quick enough to catch her and Regina didn't fight it when the deputy put her in cuffs.  She just grinned and knew if her hands were free, she'd prove Snow right.  
  
  
\----  
  
  
Emma didn't know a thing until Henry was found and they discovered the mansion was dark.  The Sheriff made two calls before speeding to the station.  Henry rested limply in the back of the patrol car.  Not as a passenger...not as a passenger and Emma could hardly look at him without feeling her blood boil.  Fourteen.  Damn kid was fourteen and she could smell it on him!  
  
It got on her as well which didn't help her mood.  The stench was faint but persistent and as she left the patrol car, she ripped off her jacket.  Henry tried the door handle but Emma slammed a fist against the glass.  "You park your ass right there or so help me god, Henry!!"  
  
He shrank back, resuming his sad, limp-noodle impression.  
  
Fuck.  If only she knew he was genuinely sad and not just sad to be fucking caught!  
  
Doors hammered about in her wake as Emma stormed a path to the bullpen, snarling when Ruby tried to stop her.  She grabbed her deputy's jacket, slamming her against the wall.  "What the hell happened?!"  
  
Ruby's eyes narrowed and she pried Emma's hands off with a surprising amount of difficulty.  "I was right there, Emma.  Regina flat-out slugged her."  
  
"Was it provoked?"  
  
"If you're asking if Snow was looking for a fist fight, I'd say no.  She's at the hospital right now but no major injuries."  
  
"Goddamnit." the Sheriff hissed, running her hands through her hair restlessly.  
  
Ruby's nostrils flared and she winced.  "Emma...?"  
  
"Fucking Henry and Regina..." she punched the wall, satisfied when the drywall crunched cleanly.  
  
"Emma."  
  
Tears welled in the corners of Emma's eyes and she had to swallow down the thickeness in her throat before speaking.  "Get Henry out of the car.  I don't want to see him right now and Regina shouldn't either."  
  
"Get Henry...out of the patrol car?!"  
  
"Just do it!  Keep him quiet.  God knows you'll know when you see him."  She took as deep a breath as possible, bouncing on her toes as she exhaled.  "This is gonna fucking suck."  
  
Ruby squeezed her bicep before taking her leave.  Emma went through a few more breaths before pushing into the pen, weaving around desks until reaching the far corner cell, the same Regina had been attacked in.  The brunette was curled up in the corner, forehead resting on her knees and phone resting loose in her left hand.  Emma unlocked the cell, getting Regina to raise her head.  "Emma?"  
  
"Hey."  
  
She uncurled, thumb swiping at her phone.  "Did you find him?"  
  
"Yeah.  Henry's fine.  Feeling no pain."  
  
"What does that mean?" she muttered into Emma's shoulder as the Sheriff embraced her.  
  
Emma sighed, noticing how Regina's hair was grown long enough to tease her fingertips.  "I just...need this for a sec, okay?"  
  
"...okay."  
  
So they stood in Regina's cell for a long, simple, peaceful minute.  The brunette noticed something odd about the smell of Emma's hair but it was hardly the time to mention it.  When Emma drew back, she took Regina's right hand to examine the knuckles.  "Nothing broken?"  
  
"Just bruised, probably.  Emma, what do you mean that Henry is feeling no pain?"  
  
"Siddown, yeah?"  
  
Regina did, but with an increasingly alarmed expression as Emma knelt before her.  The Savior pressed her forehead into Regina's knees, searching for the words to explain what an asshole their son was.  As she raised her head, she cleared her throat.  "Has...has Henry been acting odd lately?  Staying out longer maybe?  Going to bed super early?"  
  
"Sometimes...Emma what is it?"  
  
"Remember the eggs?  How we talked and I told you there were some things we would never do 'cause they were just that stupid?"  Regina nodded.  Emma swallowed hard.  "Henry wasn't missing, Regina.  He wasn't even lost.  Mulan called me, said he was at one of the houses of a track-mate."  She bit her lip.  "I swear I never thought he'd be so dumb."  
  
"Emma Swan you tell me what happened right now!"  
  
Emma breathed.  "There were five guys and Henry down in the basement, all fucking toked out of their damn minds.  I saw some other stuff, too, but the whole place was rank with mary-jane."  
  
By the widening of her eyes, Regina had done her research.  
  
Emma held the brunette's hands, nervous by the contained reaction.  "I brought him in and Ruby's gonna book him soon.  Kid's gonna spend the night here."  
  
"Henry is here?  In jail?!"  Her breath shortened.  "Emma...Emma he's fourteen.  Henry is fourteen, he's still just a baby!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Regina.  I'm so sorry, I never thought..."  
  
Mute tears rolled down Regina's cheeks and without thought, Emma leaned up to kiss the brunette's forehead, cheek, lips, anywhere to make her stop crying.  She muttered apologies between kisses but even that became impossible as Regina held her head and kissed Emma to make her shut up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeegads! Nearly 50 kudos in 2 chapters?? You guys rock!
> 
>  
> 
> I'm not a coffee person and Henry just got himself into some deep shit. This went darker and more serious than I intended but do you know what that means? More chapters! ;)


	4. Running High

"Hey.  Ems."  
  
Emma snapped from her daydream, focusing on Ruby at the door of the cell.  It had been open all night but the Sheriff had become consumed with things greater than keys and locks.  She cleared her dry throat.  "Hey Ruby...what's the story?"  
  
Ruby offered a tray with two coffees and a take-away bag from Granny's.  "Just in case."  
  
"Thanks but I'm really not hungry right now."  
  
Ruby squatted down, arms wrapped over her knees and chin on those.  "How's she doing?"  
  
"Well as you'd think when you find out your son's a dumbass."  
  
"C'mon Ems, a third of the entire team was down there with him."  
  
"That makes it better?"  
  
"Maybe it was a one-time thing, yeah?  Peer pressure or something."  
  
Emma sighed.  "Does your super-nose tell you it's just once?"  
  
Ruby winced and redirected.  "This looks good.  Been a long time coming"  
  
The Savior managed a tiny smile, eyes dropping to their joined hands.  At Emma's insistence, Regina tried to rest however it was fitful at best.  Emma's thumb kept a gentle stroke back and forth over the mayor's damaged knuckles, lingering between the bone ridges.  Trails of blue magic followed the wake of her thumb, healing slowly.  "Yeah...we'll see."  
  
"Snow has it figured out.  I think she might've freaked out a bit.  Even if she doesn't want to know, she's gotta pull her head outta the sand."  
  
"I thought you said the attack wasn't provoked."  
  
Ruby chuckled.  "I would hardly call it an attack.  That's just Regina's way of saying hello and dispensing warnings."  
  
Emma smiled, head lolling to look at the wall dividing the cells.  It had been installed after a sloshed Leroy exposed himself to another equally tanked prisoner - some argument of size no doubt.  The blessing was that Regina couldn't just wake up and see Henry jailed across the bars and, god, how Emma's own blood still ran hot thinking of her son's stupidity.  "How is he?"  
  
"I gave him a bag of chips and pen and paper.  He's been doodling and singing under his breath for a while but he's not hurting himself.  Sadly, he's never going to have a career in music unless we can tune his throat."  Emma rolled her eyes.  "His heart rate's dropping slowly, like you said.  Think he's gonna pass out soon."  
  
"Good...good."  
  
"You should get some sleep yourself, Sheriff."  
  
"M'fine." she protested, twisting her back against the wall until something cracked.  
  
"Yeah right, Sheriff.  I'll grab an extra cot.  Not exactly room for two on these things."  
  
"Ruby." Emma growled.  
  
But her deputy just poked her tongue out and retrieved the promised cot, leaning it against the bars with a shrug.  "Whenever your pride can be swallowed, Sheriff."  
  
"Careful, Ruby, I control your vacation time."  
  
"Yeah?  I gotcha by the nips, Emma.  Don't forget that."  
  
"Colorful, Rubes."  
  
"And true!"  
  
Emma lasted a full minute after Ruby returned to her desk.  The floor was cold and her bum had gone to sleep twenty minutes prior.  Her deputy was kind enough to not comment apart from a quick smirk while Emma unfolded and stretched out on the temporary bed.  She stared at the ceiling and drummed her fingers against her stomach.  
  
"...you stopped."  
  
She turned her head, glancing between Regina's cracked eyes and her hand.  The mayor's eyes weren't even puffy anymore and Emma felt a twinge of jealousy.  She could sniffle and look a wreck all night!  "Sorry.  How's the hand?"  
  
"Fine.  What are you doing?"  
  
"Thinking about sleep.  You hungry?  Ruby brought some coffee and stuff."  
  
"You should go home, Emma.  Sleep in a proper bed."  
  
Instead of addressing the reasons why she'd rather stay, she asked, "Why'd you punch her?"  
  
Regina sighed softly, eyes tracing a path from Emma's shoulder to the sharp bounces of muscles in her forearm.  "She implied that I would hurt you.  And Henry.  There was no other way I could think of to make her see that I..."  Another sigh as her eyes closed.  "It doesn't matter."  
  
"It kinda does.  Snow's pressing charges.  I think she's reaching on the domestic abuse front but she's got the welt to prove assault."  
  
She grabbed Emma's restless left hand, threading her fingers through the blonde's.  "She doesn't want us near each other.  Not as friends or..." Regina met overly-earnest green eyes with a flash of fear.  "...or anything else."  
  
Emma hadn't indulged in many friendships in her day but she was pretty sure they had sprinted across that line and into something new, tied together by Henry in some wild three-legged race.  She chuckled, bringing Regina's knuckles to her lips.  "Whatever we've got, you and me and Henry, my dear old parents are just gonna have to deal."  Regina snorted at the word 'old' and Emma winked.  "It's one of those more fun teenage rebellions you never got to have, yeah?  Bringing home some punk-ass wannabe just to piss the folks off."  
  
"Are you calling me a punk-ass-wannabe, Miss Swan?"  
  
"Course not.  You never got to bring my punk-ass home.  Not that I'd ever want to meet your mother again."  
  
It was said with delicate care but Regina felt the ache of those final moments would never leave her.  After all, none of the others had yet.  "Yes, well, times were certainly different, dear."  
  
"But you're here now."  
  
"Yes..."  
  
Emma allowed her cheek to be stroked, eyes rolling closed.  
  
"You said Henry is here?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Henry.  He's here for tonight?"  
  
"Yeah.  Kid's locked down next door."  
  
"I want to see him."  
  
Emma's eyes flew open.  "No."  
  
Regina ripped her hand free, sitting up.  "I beg your pardon?"  
  
"I just don't think it's a good idea right now."  
  
"Who are you to stop me?"  
  
"I'm not..."  She growled, shoving off the cot to take to her feet.  A few innocent words and they were right back at square one again.  "You realize you're under arrest, right?  You attacked a citizen of your town, Madame Mayor - a pregnant citizen that is held up like some fucking paragon.  My being in here doesn't change a damn thing about that.  You are a prisoner.  Just like Henry."  
  
"You're the Sheriff, Miss Swan.  You have the authority to release both of us."  
  
"Henry's not stepping foot outside of those bars until I figure out what level of stupid-fuck he's achieved, Regina!  And this isn't like last time where we could count on Ruby to bounce us out, alright?  You've got Snow filing a legitimate case against you.  You disappear and I lose my job and I can't fucking protect..."  She paused, biting away the wobble in her lower lip.  "That one case is gonna turn into goddamn hunting season for the Evil Queen and anyone that has half a bone to pick and I just can't..."  
  
Regina felt the rise and fall of Emma's hands in her chest.  "You know I didn't want to hurt her, Emma."  Really, she just needed the self-righteous twit to shut up before Regina did true harm to her.  
  
"I know, I know, **I know** ," she groaned, tugging at the roots of her hair.  "I know but who's gonna believe me?  I know she probably pushed you into it and god only knows she's had it coming but you couldn't have hit...I dunno...Gold, maybe?"  
  
"He's...a little too reformed."  Regina sniffed.  "And he would have been smart enough to know what's causing the rift between you."  
  
Emma became still, incredulous.  "She thinks you're the problem."  A bitter laugh broke from her throat.  "Same old Snow, huh?  Fuck, I need to talk to them...get her to drop the charges and see some kind of reason."  The brunette stood but Emma held out a hand.  "No, no.  I'm...I'm gonna go back to my place and try to figure out what to say.  I'll leave 'em alone tonight."  
  
Regina still approached, squeezing the Savior's wrist.  "I want to see him before you leave."  
  
"...you sure?"  
  
Full red lips pressed together tightly but Regina nodded.  "Yes.  However angry you might be at him, he'll always be my baby boy.  I need to see that he's okay."  
  
Emma left Regina's cell but she didn't go to Henry's.  She couldn't trust herself just yet.  Regina, however, rushed for the bars, whimpering in relief and despair to see him whole but curled up tight and so very small under the blue cell blanket.  "Henry?" she called gently.  He didn't stir.  
  
"Probably out cold, Regina.  Once the blood stops pumping so hard, they can actually sleep."  
  
"They?"  
  
"Potheads."  
  
"Henry is not-!"  
  
"Yeah, I got it."  However Emma's jaw was tight and Regina had to move around her to be seen for the Sheriff wouldn't turn towards Henry's cell.  Ruby had vanished - perhaps to give them privacy that her ears, against her will, couldn't allow.  
  
"Emma?"  
  
"Let's get you back.  I wouldn't want to fire anyone for letting a prisoner go."  
  
The spare cot was removed and folded back into hiding.  Emma lingered at the cell door.  "You gonna be okay?"  
  
"I have cold coffee, greasy take-out, and a Savior at my beck and call, what more could an Evil Queen ask for?"  
  
Emma rolled her eyes.  "Just...try not to irritate my deputies too badly."  
  
"What happens tomorrow?"  
  
Her shoulders popped when she rolled them.  "Henry should be more focused so I'm going to have Mulan interrogate him first.  The others are on house-arrest and their parents are due to bring them by.  It's gonna be hell."  
  
"I expect your darling father will come charging in at some point, wanting to put his halfpenny into what Henry says."  
  
"Probably not.  I'm gonna wrangle them before I come back to help with interrogations.  Set a few things straight, even if they don't want to hear it."  
  
"I'll expect him anyway, if not Snow herself.  She just can't leave things alone."  
  
Emma cocked a brow.  "Pot?  Kettle?"  
  
"Go home, Sheriff."

 

 

  
  
  
  
All the lights were off when he stirred, which Henry found he was grateful for.  The small amount of light from Mulan's desk lamp hurt his eyes.  He didn't move except to sigh but that clued in the warrior-deputy for she stood and came up to the cell bars.  "Henry.  What do you remember after the boardwalk?"  
  
His stomach dropped, making him close his eyes or succumb to the vertigo.  "Um...Drew.  Drew said something about celebrating.  Why're all the lights off?"  
  
"It is three in the morning.  I prefer to keep my night vision intact and the dark makes it easier for prisoners to sleep."  
  
"How long was I out?"  
  
She grunted, though it may have been a snort.  "Sheriff Swan brought you in at nine pm, I am told you didn't go to sleep until almost eleven."  
  
Oh yeah.  He'd been drawing and writing, putting down stories that were gonna save his ass in Creative Writing.  Any time he sat at his desk, he had nothing; purely, frustratingly blank and angry because of it.  Drew's brother had the answer.  Whenever Henry got an assignment he couldn't get past, couldn't find the words, he paid a visit and fuck if it wasn't awesome!  He chuckled.  
  
Mulan shook her head at him.  "I'd take this more seriously if I were you."  
  
It only made him laugh harder until he was wiping tears from his eyes.  Mulan couldn't get it, couldn't know.  His moms could fight battles to end worlds but together they would tear across time and realms to save him.  They'd get him out.  Emma was angry, god he remembered her face and the raw edge of her voice, but she wouldn't let him go.  His mom would be disappointed but there would be hell and hearts in her wake if barred from him.  It's what made the Lost Boys look up to him in awe.  Henry just had to wait.  
  
Regina heard her son laugh.  It struck her that there was something foreign about it, something that just wasn't Henry.  She tormented herself by thinking back to each and every night Henry went to bed early or was out just a little bit later.  It seemed so innocuous.  Those times her gut said to check on him but her mind told her to just go to sleep...guilt gnawed at her bones.  Could she have stopped this sooner or kept it from happening at all?  Had Emma noticed the same thing and ignored her gut instinct  as well?  If the jaded Savior couldn't spot a liar at ten paces, what hope did Regina have?  
  
Mulan stopped by the Mayor's cell but Regina rolled towards the wall, giving her back to the Mills warden.  
  


\----

  
  
Out of sight, Emma leaned against the bricks, breathing deep and shaking out her hands.  She could do this.  She had slain a dragon with an actual sword, stopped the apocalypse, and faced down Gold's demonic bastard father in a contest for Henry's heart.  Surely she could sit down to breakfast with her parents and be civil.  
  
The rattle of Granny's announcing bell was enough to make her reconsider.  However Snow and Charming had already spied her and he was approaching, arms open.  Emma accepted her father's embrace with a deep-seated sigh of relief.  Maybe it was his habit of really, really wanting to avoid all conflict but David was always...safer.  Or maybe it was that he was very good at handling Snow.  She made a note to gift him with a bomb-suit and catch it on video when he looked perplexed.  
  
"So glad you came." he smiled, true to his name.  "I feel like we haven't seen you in forever.  C'mon!"  
  
David rested a friendly arm over her shoulders but as they approached their table, Emma imagined it was more to keep her from running.  Snow smiled up at her, docile and sweet and just glowing with pregnancy.  At least, everywhere but the lovely bruise Regina gave her.  Emma noticed they were seated within perfect, immediate eye-shot of everyone that came in, putting Snow's marred face on display that all might know.  Emma swallowed the unhelpful thoughts down.  She could have faith in her family.  She could do that.  
  
Snow stood and caught Emma up in her own hug though the Savior found it harder to relax.  "Hey, Snow."  
  
"Oh Emma, it's so good to see you!  Your father and I already ordered but Ruby should be by soon."  
  
Of course - it wasn't that busy.  Emma was careful to schedule this immediately after the crack-of-dawn breakfast rush so any collateral damage would be minimal.  "Granny hasn't hired anyone else yet, huh?"  
  
"Not yet but Ruby seems happy splitting her time between here and the station so I don't think she needs anyone else yet."  
  
They lapsed into silence, Emma carefully tearing a paper napkin into tiny bits while Snow looked longingly at her.  David stared firmly at the menu though he had to know every item and price by heart.  
  
"How is the apartment?" Snow blurted.  
  
Emma's brows inched up.  "The apartment I've been living in for two years now?"  
  
"I remember you telling us there was some sort of leak?"  
  
"Oh...no, it was the water pressure.  I fixed it."  
  
"You didn't tell the super?" David chimed in.  
  
"The 'super' is Gold.  Just knowing that he owns the place is enough for me."  
  
"Oh.  Right, well call me next time.  I've learned a few things about house repairs since Mary Margaret fully owns the flat now."  
  
"Sure."  She didn't bother mentioning the fiasco of a year prior where Snow's whitewashed floor had to be replaced after David tore down a wall without shutting the water off first.  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
Ruby cut through the tension, setting down a plate ladened with fruit and toast for Snow and another with eggs and sausage for David.  Emma's stomach growled faintly but she didn't feel hungry.  "Pancakes and chocolate for me, Rubes.  Nothing special."  
  
"Actually I _made_ you something special."  
  
A mug of dark, spicy liquid hosting a lone cinnamon stick was pushed in front of her.  She had noticed that her parents had tea, sans stick, and looked inquisitive.  "What is it?"  
  
"Chai tea with honey and cinnamon.  Try it before I walk away."  
  
Emma's lips twisted in distaste but she lifted the mug to her lips.  As the mouthful washed around her gums, Emma made a new face, looking at Ruby oddly.  It was delicious but she had to look more tense than she imagined.  Why the hell else would Ruby put a shot of whiskey in the tea?  The waitress winked and Emma swallowed.  "S'good."  
  
"See?  I told you!"  
  
"Is this what you're drinking?"  
  
David lifted his mug in a small 'cheers' gesture while Ruby strutted off.  "Well your mother's abstaining from coffee for the baby's good and that means I am too.  We're thinking its what kept them both up all night those three months.  Once she stopped the coffee, they could sleep at night."  
  
Emma took a larger pull of the toddy mix, clearing her throat as it burned a little.  "How is...?"  _That_ was swallowed down too, bitter with the reminder that she was trying to avoid a fight.  
  
Snow smiled, shy and radiant all in one when her hand stroked over her growing belly.  "Coming along wonderfully.  All tests show as normal and on-course."  
  
She nudged her drink towards the edge of the table.  No more of that without food first.  "Good.  That's good."  
  
"It might seem a little odd.  Having a sibling so much younger than you."  
  
"Or having one at all!" Emma chuckled with false brightness.  "I mean, you grow up with other kids in a house but they're not really...yanno."  
  
Snow and David glanced at one another, nervous all of a sudden.  Emma's gut clenched.  
  
"Kiddo...Emma," David smiled, reaching across to set a hand over one of his daughter's.  "You know that we love you, right?  So very much."  
  
"Yeah.  O-okay."  And, fuck.  Her mind was three, ten, and twelve again, listening as another good family threw her back to the wolves.  
  
"The last thing we would ever want to do is upset or hurt you."  
  
"Families hurt each other."  Emma fought the urge to rip her hand away.  
  
"But you don't abandon family."  
  
Snow closed her eyes as if in pain.  Emma's open expression closed off.  
  
"Pancakes for our illustrious Sheriff of Nottingham!"  David withdrew his hand to make room for the plate.  "Oh?  You didn't like it after all?"  
  
Emma cleared her throat.  "No, it's...it's good, Rubes.  I just think I need to eat something first."  
  
"...alright.  You let me know if you need anything else."  
  
An emergency would've been good about then; burning buildings, ogres on the loose, Pongo running amok, even.  Emma just needed to get the fuck out but she was trapped having pancakes because she thought **talking** would be a good idea.  She applied her fork into making neat triangular and square bites of overly-syruped cake.  
  
Snow gave it a tense minute, waiting until Ruby left to speak up.  "Emma, when we talked about the baby, you told us you were fine.  Happy for us."  
  
"I am."  Another piece stabbed.  "Happy for you.  I get that it's a big deal."  
  
"This baby isn't some way of replacing you or trying to...remake you, Emma."  
  
"Especially if it's a boy." she snorted.  
  
It was Snow's turn to reach across but Emma's hand was tense and cold.  "Emma, please.  We love you so much but there was so much we missed of your life!  So much time lost for all of us."  
  
Emma had stopped listening at 'but', ripping her hand away.  She glowered at the decimated stack of sweetness.  "All I see in...in _that_ ," her eyes darted to Snow's swollen belly, "is that I'm not good enough for you two.  You've had four years to know me and I guess I didn't stack up 'cause now you've got this new, shiny clean-slate to raise every moment from birth!  Do you even know what you did on **my** birthday this year?"  Emma pushed her plate off to the edge and took a few deep breaths, deciding a switch of tracks was in order.  "You need to lay off Regina."  
  
"What?" they gawked as one.  
  
"Drop your damn case against her and leave her the hell alone."  
  
"Leave **her** alone?!" Snow squeaked.  
  
David set an arm around her shoulders.  "Regina struck first, Emma!"  
  
"Yeah, I know she'd start the fist fight but why in the hell were you over there in the first place, Snow?" Emma snorted.  "I don't think you were borrowing a cup of sugar."  
  
"Are you...interrogating your mother?!"  
  
Emma didn't look away from Snow, deeply pleased and rebalanced at the sight of her mother's squirming.  "Well?"  
  
"I went there...I went there to talk about you, Emma."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
Snow read into the recalcitrant lines of Emma's body and frowned.  Of course she and Regina had already talked.  That's what they did now.  As _friends_.  "You've been pulling away from us.  Ever since the baby you've been working non-stop or had any other excuse to avoid spending time with us.  I needed to know why."  
  
"And you thought...what?  Your root of all evil had me in her thrall?"  
  
"I think she **has** you in her thrall, Emma, and I'm so very worried for you!  Since you and Regina became...closer...you've changed.  You're a completely new person and I just want my daughter back!"  
  
She snorted, getting to her feet.  "The only thing that's changed is the way you look at me.  I'm not some pretty princess or a perfect daughter.  I'm Emma Swan and if that's not good enough for you...well..."  Emma shrugged and walked out the door.

 

  
  
\----

 

  
  
Henry broke.  
  
After an hour of silence, staring at the table and refusing to answer all but the most basic questions, he realized that Emma was not coming to bat for him.   Oh she glared, she leaned in the corner, tense as a steel beam the entire time, like he expected.  But she didn't say anything.  She didn't move to reach out to him.  When he came to the conclusion of just how deep of shit he was in with Emma, he threw a fit, demanding to see his mom.  
  
Mulan regarded him impassively, pen and pad ever at the ready and a tape recorder with one softly squeaking reel.  No matter his rude responses to her questions, she was a rock.  It was when he tried to stand up, to escape more than intimidate, that Emma moved.  Of course.  She was a bounty hunter.  It was stupid to think she would just...let him go.  It was proven that time in Storybrooke had done nothing to dull that instinct.    
  
Emma had Henry's arm bent up behind his back and a hand against his neck, pressing the side of his face into the table, before the teen's legs had straitened.  Pained, shocked tears burst from him and his anger and bravado gave way to terror.  "Mom!  Mom, help me!!  Help me, mommy!"  
  
The two-way mirror whined in protest as it shook until scarred with a thousand tiny spider cracks.  
  
It felt like pulling out her own heart but Emma didn't stop.  "Mulan asked you a question, kid.  Who is growing that shit?"  
  
"I...I don't know!"  
  
Henry was due to be interrogated first - that was the plan and the scheduling so Emma wouldn't be a part of it.  However the parents, who still had to work, essentially dropped the kids off early and said they'd be back to pick them up later.  So for most of the day there had been six teen boys all jammed into one cell.  Mulan sure as hell wasn't going to put any of them in with Regina.  She did, however, get them moving through interrogations fairly quickly so they were less likely to change stories as the day went on.  There were drug tests and paperwork and all was done by the time Emma arrived.  
  
She had made a note to reinstate that bonus and raise, taken away when Mulan had arrested her.  
  
"Then who is supplying it?" Mulan kept her pen moving.  
  
"Drew!  Drew gets it from his brother, that's all I know!"  
  
"And what the fuck were you thinking, being such an idiot, kid?"  
  
She pulled her hands off of him, shaking out the trembling.  Henry sat down, cradling his strained arm while his eyes darted about, wary of so much as looking at Emma.  "...I don't know."  
  
"You know this means you're off the team right?  The one you tried so hard to get on?  You and each of your toking buddies are booted and probably getting suspended from school!"  
  
His eyes widened, now locked on her.  "That's not fair!"  He would have to go to summer school at minimum to graduate on time.  He was _never_ at summer school!  
  
"Yeah?  Too fucking bad, Henry!  You want the high?  You get the lows, too!"  
  
Mulan cleared her throat.  "Sheriff Swan, I think we're done here."  
  
She snorted.  "Yeah we are."  
  
They stepped out into the hall and Emma's eyes fell to her arm, held in Mulan's grip.  "What?"  
  
"Was that really necessary, Sheriff?"  
  
She ripped her arm free.  "Did you really want to spent another hour in there watching him having a staring contest with the table?  My son just lied to my face, Mulan, I think I have the right to be a little angry."  
  
"Well, of course but--"  
  
The observation room door opened to release Regina, who regarded them with a carefully blank expression.  "Could you give us a moment, deputy?"  
  
It was said quietly, politely, but nothing in any world could convince Mulan that it was anything less than a command.  "I'll just...start writing up the report and pick up Henry in a few minutes."  
  
Regina's eyes tracked Mulan until certain she was far enough away.  
  
"Regina, I--"  
  
She held up a hand.  "Three years ago I would have ripped you to shreds, Sheriff, for handling my son that way.  And I would have taken immeasurable pleasure in doing so."  
  
Emma remained mute.  
  
"Then bigger and bigger threats came to town until you were insignificant, no more than a gnat around the ear of a bull.  You became an ally.  A friend.  You saved me, my town...my son.  Now," she laughed, bitter and brief.  "Now I'm not sure who that boy is."  
  
It was usually better to invite than invade with this particular mayor so Emma extended a hand.  By the fingertips, she pulled Regina as close as she was willing to go, though apparently this was not a hugging day.  "I...I didn't want to hurt him.  I just needed him to see how serious this is."  
  
"Did you have to wrench his arm?"  
  
She flushed, embarrassed at how her anger had boiled over.  "S'why I let him go."  
  
Regina nodded as if the issue were already forgiven.  "I think I know where they're getting it from."  
  
"How the hell would you know that?"  
  
"In the Enchanted Forest, as you found out, medicine isn't exactly at the point of steel scalpels and sterilization.  There was a glade where apothecaries could find a weed that, when dried and burned, would calm people down.  My medical staff kept a jar of dried leaves on hand at all times.  I'm positive the glade made it here with us."  
  
"Huh."  She hadn't expected such a logical reply.  "Well as long as Drew's brother hasn't transfered a plant and started his own basement operation, we should be good to burn this thing to the ground, right?"  
  
"In theory, yes.  If he thinks it's a secret, though, I doubt he'd feel the need to transplant."  
  
"Hopefully.  C'mon, we're gonna go for a little walk in the woods."  
  
"I'm under arrest, Sheriff?"  
  
"Huh?  Oh, yeah.  Forget all that."  
  
Regina followed Emma's lengthy stride, suspicion arching her brow.  "You convinced your mother to drop the charges?"  
  
"I don't know if convinced is the right word."  
  
"...you didn't punch the other side of her jaw did you?"  
  
Emma laughed, relaxing as she grabbed her dark leather coat, now stench-free after the morning's dry-cleaning, and nodded to Mulan.  The deputy glanced to Regina and, out of view, rolled her eyes at her paperwork.  "No...not to say I wasn't tempted."  
  
"So what's this all about then?" Regina didn't even hesitate to slide her arms into her jacket when Emma held it up.  "You seem rather excited."  
  
Emma escorted her out of the building, waiting to reply until they were in the cruiser.  "I told 'em if they didn't like me as I am, they could fuck off.  Right now I'm gonna go destroy what's hurting my family and,"  She paused to scoop up Regina's hand, kissing the knuckles, "I'm doing all this with the hottest woman in two worlds.  What's not to be excited about?"  
  
She had received more eloquent confessions in her life but it was so Emma, so goddamn _charming_ , that Regina's face warmed and her lips curled in a small, shy smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow you guys are excellent! 
> 
>  
> 
> This is kind of a short chapter because I was a boring teenager that liked school and had no interest in drugs so...yanno, no background for getting in trouble with this stuff. That said, ya'll can do what you want. I'm not for or against weed (and I live in Colorado!) but it happens to be a quick, easy thing that I know a lot of kids have access to early.
> 
> Things should lighten up here shortly. Thanks very much for keeping up with me so far! I hope it continues to entertain!
> 
>  
> 
> Also - for those waiting on ItB updates, I charged in a little blind so I'm rewriting back stories and so on until I feel like the ending is rewarding and not just there.


	5. The Strangest Day

"Hey, erm...hello, Mrs Lucas."  
  
"Granny, boy!  'Mrs' makes me feel old!" she chuckled.  
  
His lips pulled up slightly, against his will.  Granny slapped down an apron and, "A hairnet?"  
  
"You're in the kitchen today.  Unless you plan on shaving your head short?"  
  
"No, no!  Uh...where do I start?"  
  
"Come on back and scrub your hands."  
  
Expulsion.  
  
Snow and Charming, among a host of more violent petitions, threw in their hands and pulled the school board down to suspension, though they could get no less than the remainder of the school year.  It was essentially still expulsion, just with the chance to come back.  Six students forced back a year.  As if that weren't punishment enough, Henry was made to work at Granny's all day and still complete homework at night - bereft of an actual teacher.  He bitched and moaned about it, loudly, until learning that Drew and John were forced to work on trawlers down at the docks.  Granny's was a dream by comparison!  
  
"Okay, you two are killing me, here!"  
  
Emma blinked and glanced around.  She was positive Regina hadn't come with them but you never knew.  "Uh...what?"  
  
Ruby hopped halfway over the counter, boasting of her assets in a way Emma had become immune to.  
  
Mostly.  
  
Her eyes darted back up as quickly as they'd dropped.    
  
"You two drop him off for me to babysit all day and I have to go running to keep Henry from burning the place down instead of helping customers!"  
  
"Not all day, Ruby.  And you're not babysitting.  Henry's working."  
  
"With your culinary skills!"  
  
"Hey, I'm doing way better!"  
  
"Oh yeah.  All those long nights at Regina's are really paying out, I guess."  
  
Emma scoffed, unphased.  "You're just pissy 'cause you can't spend all morning chatting with Belle before she opens the library.  Except on Sundays 'cause she doesn't open until noon and then you two can squeeze a 'brunch break' in." she teased, quoting with her fingers.  
  
Ruby felt her face warming.  "That was a one-time thing!!"  
  
"Uh-huh.  One time at brunch, one time at the new club, that one time at the library...should I keep going?"  
  
"Keep your voice down!"  
  
It was part of the endless Storybrooke gossip mill.  Fortunately, for all parties involved, Rumpel was taking it as hearsay and nothing else.  Emma poked Ruby's nose.  "Relax.  I'm just teasing."  
  
The waitress winced at the sound of clattering pots.  "Christ, Granny's got the patience of a saint."  
  
Emma nodded toward the back.  "Keep an eye on him, yeah?"  
  
"And a nose and an ear, Sheriff." Ruby smirked.  "High octane or unleaded?"  
  
"Got a long-ass day of listening to people try and figure out how to balance the new and the old.  Gimme something that'll have me shaking."  
  
"Coffee IV coming right up."  
  
"One for Regina, too."  
  
"Oh yeah?" a dark brow waggled.  
  
"What?  She's probably got her own fancy crap.  I'll end up drinking it anyway."  
  
"Yeah-huh, whatever you say."  
  
Emma snugged her scarf as she stepped outside.  No snow during the day but the night would be frigid and white.  She sipped at her coffee and thought of things to do while the hodgepodge council debated.  Her Christmas list stood out most prominently.  Emma wasn't exactly the Stewart of gift-giving with only two years of practice under her belt.  
  
She shot off a quick text.  _What do you want for Christmas?_  
  
There was a restless night where Emma had hopped online and browsed bomb suits out of boredom but unless she was planning on slicing and dicing her organs, there was no way she could afford it, even as a joke.  Instead, David was getting a nice hoodie with 'Bomb Squad' printed on the back in reflective block lettering.  He was still going be confused as hell - Emma set a reminder to be filming while he was opening gifts.  
  
Mary Margaret - Snow - would be more interesting.  Her reply was always 'I'll love whatever you get me', which left Emma with the wide world of shopping.  Snow didn't seem to mind MM's pastel selections of clothing but the woman had enough cardigans to choke a flock of sheep.  The previous year was serendipitous in that Emma busted Snow's toaster (again) just a week before the holiday.  It was replaced with one of the fancier four-slice machines so it had been toast and club sandwiches for all until the novelty wore off.  
  
Emma glanced down as her phone buzzed.  _I want the town's Sheriff to grace this council meeting with her presence some time today.  If you can be bothered, princess._  
  
The cruiser's door creaked in protest of the cold as Emma settled into the driver's seat.  _Uhg, don't call me that!_  
  
 _\- Princess Swan or Princess Charming?  How about Princess White?_  
  
 _\- How about I send Mulan in my place and you suffer without me?  ;P_  
  
 _\- Try it.  I will find you, Miss Swan._  
  
 _\- Always?_    She snickered, debating before sending it.  Her phone went silent and Emma used the chance to make a very careful u-turn, pointing the old car towards the town hall.  She was almost there when her phone buzzed quietly.  
  
 _\- Just...get here, Emma.  You know what will happen if I have to deal with this collection of idiots alone._  
  
 _\- How would adding one more idiot help?  I don't understand your math._  
  
 _\- You're a special kind of idiot, moron.  Hurry up._  
  
 _\- Ooooo, upgraded to moron!  One day I'm sure I'll have my own dunce cap!_  
  
 _\- Have you seen the gaudy, ribbon-topped cones they have princesses wear in this land?_  
  
 _\- Yuck!  No presents for you!_  
  
Emma extracted herself from the cruiser's warmth and crunched her way across the courtyard.  Last year she'd gifted Regina, after a great deal of internal debate, with a first-edition Better Homes and Gardens cook book.  The Mayor had examined it in several minutes of tense silence until Emma couldn't stand it and exploded.  She explained how a foster mom had been crazy for the book, even if she barely followed the instructions, and went on and on about how she would kill for her neighbor's first-edition.  Emma's rather fringed mental-filter caught the bit about how she eventually did kill her neighbor - no need to spoil a gift of good intentions.  
  
Regina had laughed softly and told Emma to shut up.  It was a sound the Sheriff coveted.  
  
Her boots squeaked across the polished floor in spite of the attempt to dry them on the mats just inside so Emma hurried for the carpeted hall, shedding winter accoutrements as she went.  The squeaking stopped as she crossed surfaces, but only to give way to raised voices.    
  
Surprisingly, not one of them was Regina.  Yet, anyway.  
  
With private affairs such as the issue at hand, and the group's size post-curse, the council moved from Regina's office to the main hall.  Over a dozen people crowded between three desks, all yelling to be heard.  There were more bodies than usual, it seemed.  Trying to discern faces, Emma cringed as she realized the school board had joined the fray.  "Shit."  
  
There were also two men up by Regina...standing at attention?  Dark eyes bored into Emma and she knew there was no escape without Regina noticing.  The brunette would probably poof after her.  Emma sighed like the long-suffering and forced herself forward, through the cloud of voices.  One finger pushed Regina's coffee towards her, as though a bribe might get Emma out.  Regina glanced to the coffee and nodded to an empty chair.  "We can begin once you're seated, Sheriff."  
  
"I think I'd rather stand, then." she grumbled into her coffee.  
  
Regina smirked.  "I could ask Claude to bring the meeting to order."  
  
Her voice was no louder than usual but the name drew attention and Emma watched people glance nervously to the man at Regina's right; silence dropping into the room as everyone realized who exactly he was.  Papers shuffled and chairs scraped around a low buzz of conversation and whispers.  Emma cocked a brow and took her own seat, two chairs down from Regina's left.  Claude appeared rather bored by the whole thing as did his fellow...guard, for lack of a better term.  Emma knew him as Bill Scott, one of Michael's employees.  
  
They took chairs against the wall, to either of Regina's flanks.  Emma might have known more about the Mafia than the Forest but she could spy goons at a hundred paces.  The Sheriff tilted her chair back slightly.  "Bill.  What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Working towards the common good of Storybrooke, Sheriff Swan.  What else?"  
  
Regina snorted.  
  
"And you're packing because...?"  
  
He smiled and rolled his shoulders, giving Emma a peek at the gun tucked into his shoulder holster.  It was well-concealed under a bulky winter jacket but Emma had seen too many detectives and runners sitting the same certain way.  "I got a concealed permit."  
  
"I'd _love_ to see it."  
  
Bill pulled the card from his wallet.  While Emma looked it over, he leaned closer.  "Hear your boy's workin' at Granny's."  
  
"Yup." Emma stiffened, all but throwing the card back at him.  
  
He nodded slowly, tucking his license away.  "I send Cameron to help at the stables and he's gonna build a greenhouse for the convent.  By himself."  
  
Cameron Scott - another of the track tokers.  "Jesus, Bill...I didn't realize..."  
  
"No harm." he shrugged.  "Just here to keep that damn board from--"  
  
"Alistair." Regina growled.  
  
His jaw clacked shut and his eyes hardened when Snow hurried around the table, taking the seat between Regina and Emma, who put all four legs back on the ground.  "Oh, good!  I thought I'd be late!"  
  
"We were waiting on you, dear." Regina informed her pleasantly.  
  
"...I see.  Shall we begin?"  
  
"I'll kick things off while you're...getting your breath back."  
  
Regina got the ball rolling while Snow smiled uncertainly at Emma.  Things between them cooled down a little after Snow dropped the charges against Regina.  Granted, it took Emma's plea and then Ruby's downright yelling at Snow about being a shallow fool to make it happen.  Ruby had one hell of a gift coming her way.  As soon as Emma figured out what.  
  
Two weeks later and Snow's shiner was little more than a pity-ploy.  Emma smiled curtly at her mother before producing her phone.  A brief message was ticked out and sent.  _Alistair?_  
  
Regina's phone buzzed from inside her jacket pocket and Snow frowned.  "Something to add, Emma?'  
  
She already had her phone hidden so shook her head, sipping at her coffee.  The school board's presenter cleared her throat and continued.  
  
When Snow stood to address one of the points, Regina sent back a terse reply, just barely avoiding an eye-roll.  _An old associate.  Pay attention._  
  
They were pressing for permanent expulsion again; quoting passages of Maine law that the combined powers of Belle and Mulan must have helped them drudge up from fine-print.  Emma could see the pair in the library, perhaps in the basement that didn't contain ashen dragon-remnants.  Among boxes of dusty old files and tomes of legal blather, they would share tea and sandwiches while cracking highbrow inside-jokes in some literary bro-mance.    
  
Her brain was just drawing monocles and top hats into the scene when a counterpoint was raised, in favor of 'old world' law, and the battle flared up once more.  
  
Packets were handed out.  Honest-to-god-packets, one for each side.  Emma almost groaned.  They would be there all damn day!  She skimmed the material, clearly irritating the board with how quickly she flipped through the sheets.  Emma could only hope that there wasn't a power point presentation to go with it.  
  
"Sheriff Swan?  If you wouldn't mind giving us your impressions regarding future preventative measures?"  
  
Aw, fuck.  Emma didn't even bother to flip to the appropriate page, really enjoying the way her indifference made their eyes twitch.  "What was the punishment for illegal drug possession or use in the Forest?"  
  
The silence stretched just a moment too long.  Emma sighed.  "I got the...distinct impression that the punishment for most problems was death.  Is that wrong?"  
  
"Imprisonment." Kathryn offered quietly.  
  
"So...jail.  Call me crazy but I don't imagine that was with three squares a day."  
  
"Stoning was still popular, sister."  
  
Ah yes, Leroy's helpful additions.  Snow cringed.  "If there were issues with people, they were handled by individual villages."  When Emma looked confused, she continued.  "Aside from dues to the realm and following the law, each village controlled its own people.  Anything...abnormal, would be dealt with by village elders or a doctor, if one could be afforded.  Only if the issues continued would it be brought to the palace."  
  
Emma nodded.  "So...we've got no legal precedent for what's happened.  Right?"  
  
"Other than the law of this realm!"  
  
"Alright but that means you want to push a half dozen kids back because..."  'of a stupid mistake' sounded so very wrong.  Emma licked her lips.  "...because of some poor choices.  With time moving forward again, don't you think it's a little bit of an over-reaction?  Can't these kids learn from this?"  
  
"Our town drunk sure as hell doesn't learn anything from getting locked in the tank twice a week." George huffed.  
  
"Come over here and say that you pompous prick!"  
  
"Tch!  Do you think you could hit the real one of me?"  
  
Snow stood once more and Emma gratefully dropped back into her chair to drink her coffee.  "The question isn't what the law is or was!  Punishments have already been doled out.  What we need to figure out from here is how we will prevent this from happening in the future."  
  
"The patch of forest where the cannabis was growing has been cleansed."  
  
Snow gawked.  "You...?"  
  
"Burned it, of course." Regina snipped.  "I wasn't about to just leave it there for future idiots."  
  
"How could you do that without--"  
  
"Would you have rather I left it there?  Only by the threads of the Curse has it not spread to root elsewhere.  It was one particular stretch of forest.  I knew where to find it.  I knew how to destroy it without starting a raging forest fire."  
  
"We could have used it to lay a trap and--"  
  
"Already done." Emma spoke over her mother.  Snow whipped towards her and the Savior wondered if she'd given thought to her seating.  Much more of that and Snow was going to be dizzy.  "I had David and Mulan running regular surveillance and we caught the jerk digging through the ashes.  Isn't that why we're here?"  
  
To fill the sudden silence, Kathryn spoke up.  "Won't it grow back?"  
  
Regina smiled, all dark pleasure.  "I believe the phrase is 'salted earth.'  Nothing is going to grow there ever again."  
  
Emma had her doubts given that the woods were generally wet and misty year-round.  However, the source was gone and magically fucked over, which was good enough.  Her eyes glazed over, to-go lid still against her lips as she drifted back to that night.  Regina used the destruction as a teaching opportunity so had Emma contain the smoke and ash.  The Savior, far from content with something so menial, warped the mass into something vaguely animal-shaped.  When Regina noticed, she grabbed Emma's hand and hijacked her creation, refining it into a ropey Chinese dragon that wove through the fire.  Emma called her a show-off.  Regina kissed her.  
  
An angry buzz in her pocket almost put Emma through the roof.  She managed to contain herself to a flinch and set the coffee down with one hand while producing her phone with the other.  
  
\- _You're drooling._  
  
She smirked, glancing to Snow.  Her mother was busy arguing across the way.  _Thinking of dragons._  
  
\- _Pay attention._  
  
\- _Thinking of kissing you._  
  
Emma was immeasurably pleased to see the lightest flush across Regina's cheekbones.  
  
\- _I hope you realize this meeting is important to your job.  You'll be the likely candidate for giving speeches at school assemblies in the future.  I would hate to see you stutter because you were distracted._  
  
 _\- We haven't had any time to discuss these pesky distractions, Madame Mayor.  Perhaps we could schedule a meeting?_  
  
 _\- I'm booked solid, Sheriff._  
  
"Sheriff Swan?"  
  
Emma managed to make it look like she was checking her nails rather than fooling around on her phone.  "Sorry, I didn't get that last bit."  
  
  
  
  
  
After hours of posturing and trying to woo the Sheriff or the Mayor to one side or the other, the council dissolved and, essentially, agreed to disagree.  They would investigate modern anti-drug programs that wouldn't attract a great deal of attention from 'outside' while holding off on the thumbscrews for now.  Emma had looked positively green after the barbaric suggestion but a daring idiot then suggested stocks and pillories (all in-use at the time of the Curse) as a more gentle option.  Regina didn't even bother to be polite about it but ripped into all sides with the promise that whoever suggested an old-world method of justice would have it done on them first.  
  
The idea of corporal punishment was far from new to the Sheriff.  She'd experienced her share from spanking to caning but...the idea of Henry enduring that...  
  
"You still look a little pale.  Are you okay, Emma?"  
  
"Yeah..."  She breathed deep of the cool air, sucking it in to keep her coffee down.  "Yeah I'm good."  
  
Snow looked her over again, unconvinced.  "I'm going to take you home and make some tea, alright?"  
  
"No, I'm _fine_ , Snow.  I just need a minute.  That is some fucked up shit they were talking about in there!"  
  
Her mother blushed, embarrassed on behalf of her people.  "Times are very different, Emma."  
  
"Yeah?  Well that's another reason to avoid that hell hole!"  
  
"It's not like that for everyone!" she insisted, reaching out to clasp Emma's hands.  "What they were talking about...it's only reserved for the worst of the worst!"  
  
"As in your enemies.  People that didn't like the crown telling them what to do." Regina purred, giving a nod to her two guards as she sidled up to the Charmings.  The men nodded back and walked off.  "And of course, when you need information from someone unwilling."  
  
Snow's face pulled a sour expression.  "Perhaps those were your methods, Regina, but in my kingdom - "  
  
"You just leave them in a dark, magically sealed dirt cell to rot until the end of their days.  Now and then you might call down a fairy to...encourage their voice, but no visitors.  Yes I can see how your form of punishment is far less tortorous.  We must chat about your father someday, dear."  
  
"My father would never use those...those horrors King George described!"  
  
"Of course not, dear." she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Emma, I'm going to bring lunch to your father at the station.  Would you like to dine with us?"  
  
Emma looked at her like she had four heads.  "Wha?  How can you even **think** of food right now?"  
  
Snow appeared confused but she shrugged.  "It's just business, Emma.  We're not going to install anything George or his lackeys suggest."  
  
"He did have quite the collection in his palace.  Charming was lucky."  
  
"George was going to cut off his head!"  
  
"Which I stopped and you're welcome.  He could have chosen a slower method to rid the world of your shepherd but Charming managed to anger him badly enough to want it done quickly."  
  
"Of course you would know what devices George boasted!"  
  
Regina grinned.  "Everyone in and around his kingdom knew.  Fear was his greatest ally."  
  
"Can we please stop talking about medieval torture and murder devices?" Emma groaned, back to hands on her knees, head hanging.  
  
Snow stroked her daughter's back with a sigh.  Never did she imagine she would miss the bright red jacket.  "Sorry, Emma.  Why don't you come by for dinner tonight?  No talking about work, just family time."  
  
They were working harder to include her in almost everything, ensuring their little girl didn't feel left out or pushed aside.  Every meal was an opportunity and if Emma wasn't so burned by her past, she was sure she could eat for free for the next few years.  They were determined to let her know she was loved through food if nothing else.  Then again, they also dragged her into board games and even managed to lure her in with movies and popcorn.  The only thing missing from their outpouring of love and affection was a final touch of glitter and sparkly heart stickers.  
  
To Emma's annoyance, it was working.  
  
"Uh...yeah.  Yeah, sure I guess."  
  
"Why don't you come as well, Regina?"  
  
Their shocked silence needed no explanation.  
  
Snow flushed.  "I realize it's your week with Henry and, if it's alright, I would like him there.  A-and I wouldn't want exclude you."  
  
It even sounded genuine.  Regina bit back a request for a repeat just to ensure she heard correctly.  She must have hit Snow harder than she thought!  Still, gift-horse's mouth...  "I...wouldn't mind at all.  What can I bring?"  
  
"David's trying his hand at Mexican tonight if you wouldn't mind bringing rice?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Wonderful!  We'll start around four...maybe play some games before dinner?"  
  
"That sounds..."  Trite.  "...lovely."  
  
Emma glanced between Snow and Regina as her mother walked away.  "Holy crap.  That just happened."

"It would seem so."  
  
"You two were civil."  
  
Regina grimaced.  "After a fashion."  
  
"You're going to sit down at dinner with them.  To eat their food."  
  
"And my food."  
  
Emma shook her head.  "Maybe I really aught to take a swing at her to shake her brains back in order."  
  
"Miss Swan, are you accusing me of being bad company?"  
  
There was mirth in her dark eyes so Emma rolled her own.  "I'm feeling more up to food.  C'mon.  I know you want to see how Henry's doing at the wolf-den anyway."  
  
"I wouldn't let Granny hear you calling it that."  
  
"Ruby loves it."  
  
"Your god-mother has all the maturity of Henry."  
  
Emma stopped with the brunette, who looked as though she wanted the ground to open and swallow her in penance.  The Savior offered a hesitant half-smile and reached out, her touch sliding from Regina's biceps to her jaw.  "Hey...it's okay to be mad at him."  
  
Regina stiffened.  "I'm not mad at my son, Miss Swan."  
  
"Really?  'Cause I'm still wicked pissed at him and I've only been his mom for five minutes."  
  
The turn of phrase made her roll her eyes.  "Yes, well your acceptance of facts needs to be more timely, Sheriff."  
  
"Better late than never, yeah?"  
  
She sighed, weary of her trials.  "I'm just trying to understand his reasons."  
  
Emma's smile wavered.  "I don't know.  I do know that you haven't had your big blow up yet but, I...I mean, you could talk to me.  If you want to."  
  
Regina smirked.  "In case the town hasn't made you aware Sheriff Swan, I cast curses when I'm upset.  I don't talk about my problems."  
  
"Except to Archie."  
  
"Are we going to lunch or not?"  
  
"C'mon, Regina, I'm so much better looking!  And we can share the same couch!"  
  
"Why on earth would you want to sit there and listen to me?"  
  
Emma smiled and squeezed the Mayor's hands before letting go.  "I kinda like you."  
  
Regina had no retort for the almost-shy confession.  It took a few awkward moments to realize that so she cleared her throat to cover the gap.  "Well...lunch, Sheriff?"  
  
"Of course, Madame Mayor."  
  
Emma jammed her hands into her coat as they walked.  Regina's hand curled around the blonde's bent elbow but neither mentioned anything about the cold.

 

\----

 

Watching her greatest foe _waddle_ around the kitchen, Regina felt pretty sure that Snow was hitting up a tank of helium and baby-Charming was storing it.  She almost, almost felt sorry for her.  
  
Then again, watching the royal couple fumble about the kitchen with Snow giving orders while David tried to keep up, be patient, and get his work done was entertaining enough that Regina just rolled the dice and moved her little silver Dog token.  She usually played as the Hat but Henry, in a brief moment of normalcy, threw the piece at Emma and explained how his mom couldn't use the Hat otherwise she would win.  Every.  Time.  
  
Not that it was bringing Emma much in the way of good luck.  She frowned at her pile of twenties and the scrappy stacks of ones and fives.  One hundred and one fifty were hidden underneath, as though that would save her from her family's shrewd tactics.  "I thought you couldn't buy hotels until all the properties were bought!"  
  
"We didn't agree to any such thing before starting."  
  
"Yeah, Ma.  It's always once around the board and then all's fair!"  
  
Emma scowled.  Both Mills had one monopoly while she was nickel-and-diming with a few sporadic properties and the consolatory prize of the Utilities monopoly.  Her major bargaining card sat to her right - Boardwalk.  Henry had tried to wheedle it away from her with a pretty $600 but there was no way she was trusting him after the Ventor Ave fiasco.  Regina snapped up Park Place so Emma's only option was Snow, if her mother would actually sit down and stop bothering David.  "We're gonna divide your money and assets if you're not over here in one minute, mom!"  
  
The term slipped and she winced however it brought Snow to the table - or it could have been the threat of losing.  She smiled widely at Emma, though, and the Savior had her answer.  "Okay, let's see..."  
  
Emma could admit that her mother had in-freaking-credible good luck with her rolls.  She skipped over the Mills' properties and pulled the good bonuses.  Both 'Get out of Jail Free' cards sat with her money.  
  
The irony wasn't lost on the Savior.  
  
"Aw, Waterworks."  
  
Emma snapped from her daze, beaming.  "Yes!!"  All three looked at her and she blushed.  "What?  You guys have all the good spaces!"  
  
"Can we play Mario now?"  
  
"Not when I'm about to get paid!"  
  
"After that?"  
  
"We're going to finish this game, Henry."  
  
He sighed dramatically.  "It's gonna take forever!"  
  
  
  
  
It didn't, in fact, take forever.  
  
However they damn near had to call a council meeting, again, to draw up a cease-fire as all of them refused to relinquish the properties they paid for and snark ran amok in attempts to loosen purse-strings.  David cut into the cross-fire, fisted oven mitts on his hips, to inform them that dinner was ready.  Regina and Snow managed to agree that they should write everything down so they could pick the game up after the meal.  
  
Emma pulled Regina with her to help bring food to the table.  "Keep getting along with my mother and I'm gonna think you're going soft."  
  
"You catch more idiots with honey, dear."  
  
"Uh-huh.  Why do I get the feeling you're not making her feel safe so you can knife her at the table?"  
  
Regina sniffed.  "Over dinner?  That would just be crass."  
  
Emma snickered.

They settled around the table, loading up on Mexican rice and David's chili-chicken with a salad that father, daughter, and grandson had to be prodded into taking.  For several minutes there was nothing but the sound of cutlery and the quiet that comes from good food.  It began to grate on Emma's nerves, though, so she nudged her father with an elbow.  "How was the station today?"  
  
"I thought I said no talking about work." Snow pointed out.  
  
David smiled sheepishly.  "Quiet.  Our guest is pretty tame.  Seems to think we won't ever figure out what to do with him so he'll get free food and lodgings forever."  
  
"Yeah right." Emma snorted.  "I'll have Ruby take him out tomorrow to help shovel sidewalks and driveways."  
  
"Is it supposed to snow?" Henry asked, jealously eyeing his birth mother as she typed out a message on her phone.  His was locked away at the damned bank in his mom's safe-deposit box.  They weren't taking a chance that he'd figure out keys and codes for the safes and boxes at either home.  
  
"Emma, no phones at the table, please!"  
  
"It's a work thing, Snow.  Two seconds."  
  
"The forecast mentioned one to two inches, Henry.  Nothing more."  
  
"Could we go check on the horses tomorrow, mom?"  
  
Regina felt a smile tugging at her lips.  It was the first time he'd asked to do anything with her in two weeks.  "Of course, dear."  
  
"Don't forget you've got all that backlog of homework to do first." Emma glanced between the Mills.  
  
"Oh." Henry deflated.  "Yeah...the homework that's not counting towards anything."  
  
Emma clenched her jaw so Regina interjected.  "It's good to keep your skills sharp, Henry."  
  
David ruffled his hair.  "Yeah, and you never know, it might be counting towards something."  
  
David's commentary earned him three pointed glares.  He almost dropped his fork.  
  
"It's a possibility." Snow clarified.  Yet another point they hadn't agreed on with the council and school board.  
  
Emma's white-knuckles relaxed and Regina unhooked her fingers from where they had dug into the Savior's thigh.  There was no point in getting into a fight with Henry present.  "Thanks for having us over, guys." Emma blurted, scowling at the Mayor.  
  
"Of course, baby girl." David smiled at her.  
  
"It's good stuff, dad.  You should write your recipe down."  Emma snagged the mayor's fingers before they could escape, curling her own around them for a moment.  
  
"I'm sure Snow's instructions were helpful as well." Regina made sure to look away from Emma when reclaiming her hand.  One glance and the girlish blush she felt threatening just might escape to her skin.  
  
David was already distracted, though.  "I think I see fuzz on your chin.  Look over here."  
  
"Gramps, I'm not growing a beard."  
  
"No, just caveman hair."  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"No way.  Seriously, c'mere.  I wanna see."  
  
Emma felt the knot in her chest uncoil as her father gently badgered Henry, breaking the ice that had formed when they sat down to dinner.  She smiled at her mother, who teased her by mouthing 'eat your salad'.  Emma pushed the leafy greens about stubbornly.    
  
Regina's eyes narrowed just a touch, mocking while she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.  Emma rolled her eyes and crunched on a forkful of iceberg.  
  
"Any hiccups with the outside world, Regina?" Snow tried.  
  
"Nothing more than a few senators thinking they want to build summer homes here.  Of course, after I told them that the forests here are protected by a band of rather fierce environmentalists, they thought better of it."  
  
"I don't think ogres, dwarves, fairies, and Ruby make up fierce environmentalists.  In fact, I think Ruby would be happy to eat the others."  
  
"Emma!" Snow gasped.  
  
"What?  It's a freaking joke, mom, lighten up!"  
  
Even as the word left her lips, Emma flinched and Snow perked.  Before Snow could vault the table for a family hug, Regina stepped in.  "You, Sheriff, should be wary of some calls from those senators' aides as I quoted case files regarding the violent lengths those pesky cretins would go to."  
  
Emma took a pull of her beer.  "If anyone ever actually rolls in to visit Storybrooke for legal records, we are all so damn fucked."  
  
"Language!" Snow and Regina growled.  They looked to one another in surprise, then away with matching expressions of thinly veiled distaste.  
  
Emma's next swallow almost came out her nose.    
  
"Help!"  
  
Somehow teasing about Henry's non-existent beard gave way to arm-wrestling where Henry cheated by goosing his grandfather's side.  Now they were wrestling on the floor and Henry, all wiry muscle and limbs, was decidedly winning.  Snow sighed with affection.  "Henry, go easy on your grandfather."  
  
"He started it!"  
  
"Your dinner is getting cold, young man."  
  
"We're finishing that game after dinner, yeah?"  
  
"Emma!  Aren't you going to stop them?"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes, Sheriff.  Do what I pay you for."  
  
Emma opened her mouth to reply but snapped it shut just as quick.  Funny retort, just not in front of her parents. "They're fine."  She looked down to the quiet buzz of her phone.  
  
"Are you texting at the dinner table, young lady?"  
  
Regina rolled her eyes.  "Henry, get off the floor and finish your dinner."  
  
"David, you too!"

 

 

  
Three hours later it was down to Snow and Regina and neither was going to call it a draw.  David volunteered to play Mario with Henry, in spite of being completely clueless, so the boy tossed in his hand and divided his assets.  Emma joined them after David's eighth death in twenty minutes, which conveniently was when her own mother and friend cut her to bits despite her windfall of funny money.  
  
"You may as well toss your hand in now, Snow.  I can't be beaten in this world."  
  
Snow smiled, sickeningly sweet.  "Tough talk, Madame Mayor, but I think you're just trying to stall."  
  
Regina eyed the stretch from Go to Jail to Go.  Her enemy commanded the railroads and the dark greens.  She was currently safe on her yellows but the shiny red hotels on the greens winked at her, mocking her hesitation.  Park Place and Boardwalk were still in split-custody.  She eyed the Chest and Chance spaces - anything would be better than dropping money into Snow's irritatingly neat piles.  
  
Her precious Hat token, reclaimed when Emma dropped out, wasn't bringing her much luck this time.  Regina scooped up the dice, rattling them in a loose fist.  
  
"No magic."  
  
She stopped, brow cocked.  "Are you accusing me of cheating?"  
  
"The thought crossed my mind." Snow's voice was desert-dry.  
  
"You are winning, dear.  Why would I cheat to ensure you win?"  
  
It took immense willpower but Snow managed to not look at Emma.    
  
Things were getting easier between them all again and Regina, frightening as she could be, most certainly wanted Emma to be happy above all else - even above holding up their tenacious cease-fire.  Snow's cheekbone throbbed softly in reminder.  As the days passed and the bruise faded, the brunette had time to watch and consider what she thought to be happening.  It rankled but pitching a tantrum about it was only going to hurt everyone.  
  
And it wasn't like Snow was going to find someone more powerful, more insanely (worryingly) devoted to keeping her family safe.  With Regina brought into the fold, their futures were limitless.  
  
So Snow didn't mention how Regina was letting her win in some warped courtship method - sacrificing a win in place of a dowry of gold or livestock.  There wasn't a snip about the frequent, snickering texts or mention of the time Emma spent with Regina.  Snow was trying to just...let it go.  "Roll the dice, Regina."  
  
Pennsylvania Avenue.  Snow kept her laugh down to a smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Wow.  That's a lot more than two inches."  
  
"Yeah, no shi-OW!  I'm filing a freaking restraining order on you!"  
  
Regina closed her eyes for a brief moment to gather her patience.  
  
"I'm fourteen, mom.  You have to know I've heard it before."  
  
"Of course, dear.  I would still rather wash out Miss Swan's mouth."  
  
"Yeah, no one else will allow you to hit 'em so often."  
  
"I don't _allow_ it, kid!"  
  
"You sure don't hit back!"  
  
"I don't hit girls.  Unfortunately your mom's a woman with a whole lot'a magic that could put me through a wall."  
  
"And _you're_ the Savior?"  
  
"Yeah, some cute little kid came up with the title.  Sometimes I wonder what happened to him."  
  
Henry scowled and slouched over to his grandfather.  Snow approached with a hesitant smile.  "David tells me we actually have an air mattress.  One of you can stay with Henry and the other can stay down here."  
  
"You kidding me?  I'm not sleeping with the kid.  I'll wake up looking like he played soccer with my shins!"  
  
"I think Henry is a little too old to have someone else sleep in his bed." Regina reasoned.  "We're both adults.  Miss Swan and I will stay down here."  
  
"Aw, you called me an adult!"  
  
"Physically.  Your mind, I'm afraid, may never catch up with your age."  
  
"Oh yeah?  Let's talk about age for a minute!"  
  
Regina glared.  "Tread lightly, Savior."  
  
Emma really wanted to sleep in some comfort that night so she bit back her words and offered her best sheepish grin.  
  
Thought was devoted to simply 'poofing' everyone back to their respective homes but Regina was limiting the magic usage in the face of Henry's punishments and Emma wasn't nearly confident enough to poof an apple let alone a person.  So Snow and David's it was.  Charming got the mattress set up with Henry's help while Snow brought out linens, pillows, and blankets.    
  
"These should be warm enough for tonight.  Might be a bit big, though." David smiled as he handed them T-shirts and flannel pants.    
  
"Cool, thanks guys." Emma gave both parents a hug and, after a quiet minute of debate, set a hand on Snow's swollen belly.  
  
It was just a moment's contact but Snow's face was alight with pleasure.  Henry mumbled a goodnight before climbing the stairs, his grandparents following after.  "These are ridiculous." Regina groused, holding David's T-shirt out in front of her.  
  
Emma was stripped and redressed before the cold had a chance to seep into her skin.  Regina blinked at her.  "What?  Not like it's anything you haven't seen before."  
  
Day one.  "You look absurd."  
  
Maybe but she felt great.  Emma never had a dad, even one of the good ones, that gave her just basic, comfortable clothes to muck around in.  They were always stolen from other kids or so girly Emma was terrified to so much as crease them.  David's clothes hung off her body and smelled like her dad and for the moment it wasn't completely weird that he was almost her same age.  "You never had a sleepover, did you?"  
  
"Absolutely not.  Mother wasn't inclined to such...frivolous behavior."  
  
"Me either." she nodded, plucking at her shirt.  
  
"Miss Swan, turn around."  
  
"Really?  You got something I haven't seen?"  
  
Regina smirked.  "There is much you haven't seen, Savior."  
  
"Yeah, see that's not a good way to get me to hide my eyes."  
  
"I can blind you, Emma."  
  
"Kinky."  
  
"Emma!"  
  
"Alright, alright!" she huffed and turned, bouncing on her toes.  When the quiet rustle of fabic stopped, she sighed.  "Are you done yet?"  
  
The last lamp in the living room clicked off and Emma twisted around, squinting into the sudden darkness.  Before her eyes could adjust, she was pulled forward by her shirt.  Dragged off balance, Emma's hands searched for purchase and they found the blankets - right before her forehead cracked into Regina's.  "Son of a bitch!" she yelped, hearing a similar hiss.  Emma groaned, lying on her back and rubbing at her forehead.  
  
"You have all the grace of a hippo on ice..." Regina growled.  
  
"Aw fuck you, you dragged me off balance!"  
  
Emma tried to sound angry but the entire thing struck her as hilarious, their air mattress bouncing with her snickers.  It was painful and off-center and just so...never how she expected.  
  
"You're awesome," she twitched, snickers evolving into louder guffaws.  
  
"Shut up, idiot!  Do you want to bring them down here?"  
  
Emma flinched when she felt hands press into the mattress to either side of her ribs but she melted into goo at the first touch of Regina's lips to her own.  She hummed and took a second, opening her mouth to the third.  Regina lay claim to her lips then, drawing away whenever Emma tried to take more control; getting the blonde to rise up after her, to hold her face and keep her close.    
  
Lights flared on bright enough to cause spots in their vision and Emma groaned.  "The hell?!"  
  
Snow padded past, into the kitchen.  She filled up a glass with water and returned to the stairs, flicking the lights off.  "Time to **sleep** , ladies."  
  
After a minute of quiet, Emma managed to breathe but laughter bubbled up from her chest once more.  "Fuck, this is the most bizarre day of my life!"  
  
Regina snickered, face pressed into the hollow of Emma's neck.  "My head really hurts, Emma."  
  
Emma kissed her ear.  "Sorry."  
  
After her majesty shuffled around for a minute, only to retake almost the exact same position, Emma threaded her fingers into the dark hair and massaged near Regina's hairline, lulling them both to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so many problems with this one, hence the gap in postings! It kept going dark, dark, and darker still until I found the key. So, here we are! Thank you all for keeping with me and Kudos-ing and commenting and...and...and stuff! :)
> 
>  
> 
> That damned Hat token. I can't play Monopoly with my mum if she's using that stupid Hat. She just wipes the board with my face. XD Besides, y'know...magical hats and Regina! And Snow is growing! Or trying to. Henry's still a shit.


	6. Truancy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, you guys make me so happy with your comments and your kudos. Seriously. It's like wriggly puppy happy, you have no idea! :D

When Henry completed the stack of homework sent home for him, finished months ahead of his classmates, it was sent off to be graded by teachers strictly approved by Regina.  The mass was mailed to Emma's apartment when completed and it turned out Henry was performing two-grades higher than he was placed.  Only one class was an issue and though it screamed red-flag for Regina, Emma was far less concerned.  Henry's Creative Writing grade dropped from an A+ to a C-.  The Savior figured he was just restless and anxious without his fix.  Regina was up late re-reading the graded papers, worrying over how her son's keen mind was now producing broken stick-figure stories with two dimensions and all the emotional weight of a paper clip.    
  
Henry, of course, had no answers.  
  
In an attempt to connect with him, Emma decided to give his Christmas present early and he had been ecstatic for all of a day with his new set of Yaktrax.  Twenty-four hours later, however, Emma's master plan unveiled and put him back into sulking-teen mode.  His mother woke him up just before dawn and took him out for a run, boasting her own anti-slip wear.  It had been a few weeks so his joints complained but after the first mile, Henry was back in form and kept attempting to speed ahead.  
  
Emma ensured he was on-pace, though, and they would complete a steady six miles around town until Henry's snap-reflex-trained body suffered the pulsing burn of a long run.  He was too stubborn to complain about his aches and became highly determined to outlast his mother.  
  
"Why'd you do it, kid?" Emma would ask him.  
  
"Dunno." Henry would puff in reply.  
  
Every day of her week with Henry, Emma asked the same questions and received the same answers.  However, like Regina training on a line, the Savior held the reigns of their pace tight and deliberately irritated her son until he, hopefully, learned to talk to her again.  
  
At six weeks without his phone, without computer or game privileges (bar once or twice at Snow and David's), without anything to stimulate him but books and blank pages, Henry's icy front was breaking down.  While the school discussed sending more work his way, he had hours of free time that his days had been missing.    
  
Working at Granny's wasn't a bad gig except when his friends came in.  If she was working, Ruby was usually cool enough with letting him 'tuck tail', as she called it, until they were gone.  His allowance was most certainly canceled and if he was earning a check at Granny's, it was tucked away like his cell phone, feeding his own tiny trust fund.  Any time at home was spent reading and glaring at blank sheets of notebook paper.    
  
Henry knew his stories were garbage.  He flew through his other subjects, teacher or no, but the one subject he aught to never suffer in, the one people counted on him to be brilliant, he fell flat.  But after Neverland...Henry just couldn't see things the same way.  The world lost its wonder and silver linings and trying to write stories that were shored up with ideals like True Love and Good and Evil became impossible.    
  
"Henry?"  
  
"Yeah, mom?" he called.  
  
But she remained silent and Henry sighed as he hauled off his bed.  He padded to the top of the stairs but didn't see her.  "Mom?"  
  
Still no reply.  He sighed again, limbs flopping about with as much drama and annoyance as he could convey going down the stairs.  First they locked him up, then his entertainment, made him do schoolwork, and then he had to get up and find them.  Hadn't he done enough of that as a kid?  
  
"Mom?"  
  
Not in her office or the living room.  The study was...uncomfortable for him.  It was adults and alcohol and magic and serious discussions.  He poked his head in but Regina wasn't there.  Not the kitchen or the laundry room.  Henry pulled a face and stomped upstairs to knock on his mom's bedroom door.  "Mom?"  
  
"You can come in, dear."  
  
He still opened the door slowly, privacy being his new favorite thing.  "Oh, uh...you look...different."  
  
She smiled and for a moment, Henry was chock full of awe and jealousy and the world was a little less grey.  She looked happy.  And not in a 'someone is suffering' sort of way.  
  
It also looked like she was going to work.  "Isn't it Saturday?"  
  
Regina caught herself from 'no rest for the wicked' and instead said, "The council believes they've come up with a solution for Mr Odell's situation."  
  
Odell?  Oh, Drew's brother.  "Oh yeah?  Are they just gonna jail him for the next year?"  
  
"I certainly hope that isn't their suggestion.  It's a terrible waste of time and money."  
  
"You seem sorta excited to attend."  
  
"Shouldn't I be?"  
  
He leaned in the doorway, lanky arms folded.  "You usually describe them as a performing troupe of chattering monkeys flinging sh-tuff instead of ideas."  
  
Another smile as she fluffed her hair.  "They are that on the best of days.  With a little leadership and a cattle prod, though, I believe they might have actually found something useful.  Your grandparents should be by in a few minutes."  
  
He gaped.  "I'm...you called in babysitters??"  
  
"Henry." She tutted.  "I thought you would enjoy spending time with them.  Besides, someone needs to be around for when Snow bursts.  I have a feeling Charming may faint."  
  
It sounded legitimate but Henry knew and could hear the undertones.  _I can't trust you yet._   His cheeks burned with shame and anger.  "Mom, I'm almost an adult!  I don't need to be watched over when you're gone!"  
  
Recent events could prove otherwise.  Emma had given Regina her two cents: _Let him know you're upset or disappointed or whatever.  That way it's out and he's not always waiting for you to blow._ Granted, the Savior needed to take her own damn advice but by the guilty ducking of her blonde head, Regina didn't have to point that out to her.  "I'll feel better knowing they're here, dear."  
  
And for his mom to feel better entrusting **anything** to Snow-freaking-White...Henry felt the sting.  "Yeah, whatever." he grumbled, pushing off the door and skulking back to his room.  
  
"Don't stomp, Henry!  You're not a gorilla!"  
  
His heels just came down harder and Regina closed her eyes for a moment.  Not all battles had to be fought to be won.  The doorbell rang to distract her.  
  
She did not expect a handful of papers to be thrust into her face upon opening the door.  Balking, Regina peered around the stack to cock a brow at her foe.  "Good afternoon to you, too."  
  
Snow huffed and puffed and held the paperwork out pleadingly.  "I need you to take this to the meeting with you, Regina!"  
  
A glance proved that David and Emma were talking (cowering) back on the sidewalk.  Regina looked back to Snow.  "What is this and why can't Emma present it?"  
  
"It's the revised outline for Odell's punishment.  They tried to sneak a few things in but I caught them!"  
  
Regina took the stack on the pretense of looking it over while she studied poor, poor Snow White.  Pregnancy was not treating her so well this round and it was good she had her short pixie cut.  The ratty tresses of the old world would have had the woman sweating with the dawn.  "Would you care to come in, Snow?  There is tea and water in the fridge."  
  
Grateful, Snow muttered a soft thanks and pressed into the kitchen, aiming for anything cold.  Seeing that Snow made it in, Emma and Charming approached, looking progressively more guilty as they neared Regina.  The former Queen addressed them with little more than a glower that demanded answers.  When they weren't forthcoming, she sighed.  "Why is she dressed in six layers and sweating on my porch?"  
  
"She wanted to walk." Emma grumbled.  
  
"We were told exercise is good for the baby."  Charming offered.  
  
"Twenty degrees is certainly not good for the baby." she chastised, ushering them inside.  "Honestly."  
  
"She's kinda scary when she's...determined."  
  
"You are her daughter and you've had a child, you should be coaching, not enabling."  Charming opened his mouth but Regina just looked at him and he shut it again.  "Henry's rules and permissions are listed on the fridge.  I don't expect this to take more than an hour but if so, ensure he completes the list of chores before any rewards."  
  
Emma smirked.  "You might want to repeat that back to her, soldier."  
  
He tapped his fingers to his forehead in a mock-salute.  "Yes ma'am.  Chores before whor _ooooh_ hey I'm just going to go check on Snow now, have fun at the meeting!"  
  
He zipped away and Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's snickering.  "I'm living in a house full of teenagers."  
  
"Then you aught to have a talk with Snow about that teen-pregnancy."  
  
"A running theme in your family, I see."  
  
"Oh.  Ouch.  Stop smiling like an idiot when you say it and I might be hurt."  
  
"Shut up, Swan."  
  
"You're catty after three days apart." Emma purred, leaning in to steal a brief kiss.  
  
"Well, I see you certainly didn't miss me."  
  
"C'mere and get your coat, Madame Mayor."  
  
"This is the most lousy valet service I've ever had.  Who is your boss?"  
  
Regina backed Emma against the front door, free hand threading under the Sheriff's heavy jacket and around her waist.  Emma leaned towards her but backed off at the last moment.  "We need to go.  My boss'll yell at me for sure if I'm late."  
  
"Your boss sucks."  
  
"Among other things." she winked.  
  
Regina's eyes warmed, chocolate to whiskey.  When they finally managed to do more than steal a few minutes to make out, Regina was uncharacteristically nervous in the afterglow.  Emma had just lain flat on her back and stared at the ceiling, quiet as her breath came back.  The tension ratcheted up until the Sheriff came back to life, to herself, and smirked while informing Regina they had plenty of time.  
  
And fuck if they didn't push it to the last minute.  
  
Emma swallowed, keeping her palms flat against the door.  She couldn't reach out.  Couldn't touch.  Call it lust or magic or static electricity but once that barrier was beaten down, every brush of hands was like grabbing a live wire.  "Regina."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Meeting?"  
  
Regina pulled an adorably confused face, glancing from Emma's eyes to her lips until the words, and the weight of paperwork in-hand, brought her back to the present.  "Of course, Sheriff Swan."  
  
They de-tangled, Emma opened the door.  After Regina passed through, Emma rolled her shoulders and exhaled hard before following.  
  
  
  
  
"Wait...why are we stopping?"  
  
"I just need to run inside for a moment."  
  
Emma waited patiently and Regina did return.  They were underway again but only a minute later and Regina was pulling out of traffic again.  "Okay, seriously.  What the hell?"  
  
"Relax, Sheriff.  Coffee?"  
  
"Granny will be so disappointed."  
  
"I'm sure she'll live."  
  
They ordered and, to Emma's surprise, took a table in the shop.  She wasn't complaining because Regina was buying, and driving, but the silence of a few minutes weighed with questions.  "So...uh...what do you think they've come up with?  For the kid?"  
  
The kid that was not Henry.  "I haven't the slightest.  Whipping or ridicule are possibilities."  
  
"More of the old-world?" she grimaced.  
  
"Call it barbaric but the available punishments were certainly quick to teach a lesson."  
  
"Or they just make the person bitter and angry until they fight back."  
  
Their eyes met, each bearing the same weight of concern and knowing such that they looked away.  The barista dropped off their coffees and a fat cinnamon roll with a fork.  A terse, disbelieving laugh huffed from Emma.  "Really?"  
  
"What?"  Regina picked up the fork and set about cutting a bit from the mass.  
  
"You...I mean, you've got the rights and all but..."  She ignored the gurgles of her stomach.  "You brag about your cooking and then sit here and eat someone else's?"  
  
"They make a good roll." she defended.  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
"Miss Swan!"  
  
Emma swallowed her fast-finger reward, humming quietly at the sweet icing and warm dough.  "You're right.  That is good."  
  
"Of course.  Get your own if you're so hungry."  
  
"You bought me coffee."  
  
"Your point?"  
  
"And you're not gonna share?"  
  
"This isn't a milkshake, Emma."  
  
"You're right, it's ten times more delicious."  
  
Regina wavered as she received puppy-eyes not unlike Henry's best pathetic face.  She hadn't been on the receiving end of those in a while and, to her horror, her immunity was brittle.  "Fine."  
  
The fork was turned and Emma snatched it up, cutting a large swathe for herself.  She picked the piece up to eat it in three separate bites, sucking her fingertips clean.  "What?"  
  
Fork suspended in mid-air, Regina sighed and made a second cut.  "Teenagers."  
  
  
  
  
After coffee it was walking, 'to burn off the treat.'  By then Emma was full and caffeinated but not comatose.  She had picked up on the idea even if Regina wasn't going to say it aloud.  So she was content to wander and stopped asking about the meeting as they dipped in and out of stores or just window shopped, to make the patrons nervous.    
  
The town only had about three places to shop for clothing so by the time they were making another round, Emma sidled up to the mayor, pretending to look at the rack with her.  "I know what you're doing."  
  
"Browsing?"  
  
"Your phone is off and that pesky meeting started about an hour ago.  If I didn't know any better, Madame Mayor, I'd say you're skipping class."  
  
"I already read the revised proposal your mother threw at me."  
  
"If reading is skimming, sure.  I think you looked at the first page or two and called it quits."  
  
"Is your phone turned off?"  
  
Emma smirked.  "Hell yeah.  Do I look stupid?"  
  
Regina gave her a sidelong glance.  "Not today, Sheriff."  
  
They passed a collection of winter wear and Emma's brain perked.  "How does it feel?"  
  
"Like polyester, I'd imagine." Regina dropped the jacket sleeve she had been examining.  
  
"Not the jacket."  
  
It took another two racks of reasonable quiet before Regina answered.  "I just wasn't in the mood for them again.  I was..."  
  
Her voice cut off and Emma was intrigued.  "You were what?"  
  
"It's nothing important."  
  
"Then it shouldn't matter if you tell me."  
  
Regina scoffed and turned heel to leave the store.  Emma followed doggedly and almost ran into the brunette just outside.  
  
The mayor's breath steamed in a long, slow exhale.  "I was...am, I am excited to...to see you.  Emma."  
  
Regina was staring hard across the street so missed the soft curl of Emma's lips.  
  
"I didn't want to waste the day with fools.  I would much rather spend it with you."  
  
Out on the sidewalk, exposed to the glowering public eye, Emma couldn't just grab the brunette and kiss her.  Not yet.  Not _yet_.  Instead, she ran the back of her gloved knuckles down Regina's side.  "So what did you want to do?"  
  
  
\----  
  
  
Never before had such a tiny, useless object warranted such wrath.   
  
Another dart bounced off the board and clattered to the floor.  Mulan glowered at the offending projectile.    
  
A lithe hand grabbed around her chin, pinching her cheeks, and gently pulled her face around.  Aurora didn't even look away from her phone, left thumb typing away while her right hand imprisoned the warrior.  "Stop sulking."  
  
Mulan scowled, jerking her chin free.  "I do not sulk."  
  
Only after the message was sent did Aurora look up, offering a gentle smile.  "Warrior, you suck at darts."  
  
She huffed and went to retrieve the tiny weapons.  "Give me a knife any day."  
  
"On your belt, dear."  
  
"And a target."  
  
Back to the phone.  "Maybe if you're nice to the Sheriff, she'll convince Regina to invest in a straw dummy."  
  
"When the lesi-lovefest is done, the straight guy wants to order lunch."  
  
Mulan scowled over at her prisoner.  "Quiet."  
  
"Whatcha gonna do, huh?"  
  
Aurora chimed in.  "Actually, Mulan is trained in the art of a thousand cuts and I've seen her break bones without leaving a bruise."  
  
"You're bluffing." Adam sniffed.  
  
The deputy slowly pulled the knife from where the sheath was attached on her belt at her lower back.  When Emma told her she couldn't keep her sword around, no matter Charming's attachment to his, Mulan had gone out and invested her first paycheck in a full-tang tactical knife.  The Sheriff had rolled her eyes but allowed it as long as Mulan remembered it was new-world before old-world.  
  
Adam scoffed but he took a step back when Mulan started for his cell.  The warrior smirked and sheathed the blade.  
  
"Is that fear I smell?"  
  
"Eau de prisoner, indeed." Aurora called.  
  
Ruby swung into the bullpen, one arm loaded down with takeout bags.  "What have I said about torturing the prisoner, Mulan?"  
  
"Only after we get the soundproofing installed." she deadpanned.  
  
Aurora actually looked up from her phone and Ruby gawked.  "Was...was that a _joke_ , Mulan?  Oh my god, did it hurt?!"  
  
Mulan scowled and took the white bags from her friend's arm.  "Not half as bad as your sense of humor."  
  
"She did it again!  Aurora, call an ambulance!  I think she's broken!"  
  
Ruby ducked the half-playful fist chucked at her head.  Aurora squeaked as the lycanthrope scooped her up into a hug.  "You're awfully affectionate today." she giggled, arms wrapped around Ruby's neck.  
  
"Why shouldn't I be?  It's a gorgeous day with cold, clean air and I feel great!"  
  
Back on her feet, Aurora paused to put her phone away.  "I think we might need the ambulance for you, Ruby."  
  
"What?  What for?"  
  
Mulan snorted suspiciously, diving into her breakfast with her back turned to them.  Aurora tapped Ruby's chin.  "You're so in love it's almost painful to watch."  
  
Ruby flushed but her smile didn't shrink.  "That obvious, huh?"  
  
"Still in puppy-love." the warrior huffed in distaste.  
  
"Man, at this rate I may drop dead from all your zingers."  
  
"I...didn't mean to insult." she frowned.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Ruby leaned on the warrior's back to deliberately irritate her.  "You know how it is.  You two are still pretty new, yeah?"  
  
Aurora blushed out of pure happiness.  "Oh, yes.  Just the other day Mulan brought me a handful of snowdrops and holly!"  
  
Mulan's ears rushed full of blood and Ruby just grinned and grinned.  "I see.  That's why you called me to take over for you for a couple of hours, hm?  Important mission."  
  
"I was patrolling and happened to see them."  
  
Ruby squeezed her friend's shoulders.  "Aw, you're just a bitter hard candy with a super-sweet, squishy center!"  
  
"They make bitter candies in this world?" Aurora gaped.  
  
"Heck yeah.  We'll run down for ice cream some time and I'll introduce you to every kid's favorite for the last twenty-eight years."  
  
"Why would you want that?"  
  
"Well, it's kind of hard to keep sucking on it 'cause there's a super-sour coating all around it.  It's, um, kind of a test of bravery?  I guess?"  
  
"I suppose it's preferable to slaying some great beast." the princess shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, dragons and chimera are in short supply around here." Ruby dropped into her chair, boots clunking down onto her desk.  "You two hanging out or taking off?"  
  
"Mulan is going to show me how to shoot today!"  
  
"Really?  With her department-issued handgun and bullets that each have to be accounted for?"  
  
"We'll start with the bow and arrow." Mulan snipped.  "When the weather warms, we can work on gun training."  
  
Mulan had taken to firearms with great, unusual ease.  Her hand-eye coordination was phenomenal, except at darts, and even Emma was picking up a trick or two from the new-world newbie.  "You should take Snow with you.  She's got the draw-strength of a freaking god."  
  
"I was thinking of taking Granny with her crossbow."  
  
"Yeah, but she's got wolf-blood and we're totally boss!" Ruby grinned, propping her arms up like a bodybuilder.  
  
Mulan rolled her eyes.  "I see."  
  
Aurora joined her warrior to eat breakfast.  They tended towards opposing shifts for much of the week with Mulan working mostly nights and then crashing a few hours after dawn.  Aurora felt it a touch ironic that now Mulan was under her own unique sleeping curse and was trying to convince the warrior to ask for more daylight shifts.  She had tried to stay up with Mulan's third shift but sleeping through the day proved incredibly nerve-wracking for the princess.  
  
"Yellow?  Hey, Snow!  How are y...huh.  I'll give 'em a call but their meeting probably just ran over.  Mmhm, you know how George is always trying to bitch his budget increases at every chance.  Eh?  Of course I said 'pitch'.  Uh-huh.  Yep.  Love you, too.  Bye."  
  
Two sets of curious eyes looked to Ruby as she pawed through her contacts list.  "What?"  
  
"You're...you're not in love with Snow White, are you?"  
  
Ruby went scarlet.  "Seriously??  She's my best friend and it's not like I don't love her but I don't love- **love** her!"  
  
Aurora nodded slowly and went back to her breakfast.  
  
  
\----  
  
  
"You're gonna want this."  
  
Regina eyed the SPD beanie, brow cocked.  "Why?"  
  
"It'll keep your hair from getting wet.  Mostly."  
  
Emma was wearing a Snow-approved knit beanie and if that was her alternative, Regina snatched up the official black material, settling it on her head.  "Am I ready now?"  
  
Regina, at the Sheriff's insistence, had magically summoned winter boots and a rarely-worn set of jeans.  Now with the cap, Emma looked her over and nodded firmly.  "That should work."  
  
"What are we doing now?"  
  
Emma escorted her through the crunching snow.  "Well, we did coffee and clothes shopping and looked at bathing suits no respectable body wears in Maine, even in the dead of summer."  She ignored Regina's 'prude' scoff.  "And then against my better judgment, I rented ice skates with you and proceeded to fall on my face a dozen times."  
  
Regina chuckled.  The Savior's methods of combat, thankfully required no grace to win.  
  
"So now we're gonna hang out with a bunch of teenagers."  
  
The mayor resisted but Emma kept her moving forward.  "Really, Emma?"  
  
"Aw, c'mon.  You're skipping class and when you skip class you hang out with other kids that skip class."  
  
"I am not a child."  
  
"I hope not otherwise the last few years just got really awkward."  
  
Against her will, Regina smiled.  
  
The shrieks became clear long before the sight of any children.  They rounded a hill and looked down on a shallow vale where at least thirty children of varied ages ran amok and threw snowballs at each other.    "Miss Swan, if you think-"  
  
"Oh I know, Madame Mayor.  C'mon."  
  
Upon being noticed, several children ran up to Emma and a couple dared to approach Regina, smiling up at her.  They were from her small class, as she recalled, and they had respect, not fear, in their eyes.  They shook her hand and pulled her into the game and if Regina looked surprised or panicked, Emma just nodded and told her she would be okay.  
  
Unlike dodgeball or any other number of games Henry had come home to explain to his mother, the snowball fight appeared to have no winners and no losers.  Older children shied away from her but those from her class were on her side in a heartbeat, pointing out the slowest runners and the dangerous throwers.  At first, Regina threw bare handfuls in gentle, underhand throws.    
  
That was until a huge snowball slammed home against her back, actually getting her to stumble.  She wheeled around to see Emma getting high-fives and cheers from behind a crudely developed wall.  Regina barely remembered to use her hands, not her magic, to gather snow for a retaliatory strike.    
  
" _Fort fight_!!" someone yelled.  
  
Magic words.  As one, the children split to opposite sides and some lobbed cover-fire while others shoved up snow to make crude walls.  "Here Miss Mills!"  
  
A dozen perfectly formed snowballs were dropped at her feet and Regina didn't stop to think about what she was doing, didn't worry or care.  She grabbed the nearest and hurled it straight for Emma's head.  The Savior yelped and ducked only to dare to stand up.  "It's on, Mills!!"  
  
Her ammo was never-ending, it seemed.  Children placed artillery at her feet without question.  Even the older kids approached and began to cheer on her shots, providing cover when she had to stand up to make a strike.  Regina found herself smiling and laughing and being free and just not caring about power or image.  All that she had ever wanted.  
  
After a good twenty minutes of lobbing projectiles, Regina crouched down and called the nearest children close to her.  "Do you want to really storm their castle?"  They watched her with bright, bright eyes and nodded.  She concentrated and used her magic to form a sword out of snow.  They gasped and grinned.  "It's not dangerous." Regina assured, striking the blade against her forearm.  It dissolved harmlessly only to re-form a moment later.   
  
She made up a dozen such weapons and shields and when they were armed, she stood and pointed across.  "Surrender now or we will take your castle by force, Swan!"  
  
"Never!!" they jeered.  
  
Regina smirked at her mini-army.  "Charge!"  
  
They hauled over the walls with young screeches and war cries, holding up their shields to ward off anything incoming.  Emma gaped.  "You're such a cheater!" she laughed.  
  
"All's fair, Sheriff!"  
  
"Oh yeah?!"  
  
A great wave of energy kicked up the snow, blinding everyone including the caster.  Emma reeled when she heard Regina's voice far closer than she aught to have been.  "I suppose I should make it fair, Savior."  
  
The mire cleared, gathered into glittering armaments that were scooped up with zeal to start the war in earnest.  Emma turned, snowball at the ready, but the mayor was nowhere to be found.  She gained her feet and twisted around.  The children of both sides vigorously battled for the sheer enjoyment of watching their weapons break and remake - their snowballs now swords that didn't need reforming.  Two older kids ran for her but Emma jumped the walls into the no-man's-land between forts.  One kid took a swipe at her head anyway and the blonde lost her breath as a body shoved into her, clearing her from the strike but landing her back in the snow.  "Jesus, that's cold!"  
  
"I've got this one, keep up the fight!"  
  
"Regina?"  
  
The dark beauty above grinned and grabbed Emma's wrist, using her surprise to slam Emma's last snowball into her own face.  She sputtered and growled, wiping the snow away to see Regina unmoved, smiling, flush, watching her without the burdens of past and present.  Just...happy.  "You're beautiful." she whispered.  
  
Regina's smile softened.  "Come on.  Let's make a real fort."  
  
Emma accepted the hand up and dusted her pants off, feeling the chill wet settling in.  "Let's do it fast, hm?"  
  
"I thought you liked it slow."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Regina smirked and gripped Emma's hand, focusing on the snow-weapons, on the falling snow, on the half-crushed mess of fallen snow.  The white mass swirled up into the air, dissolving from weapons much to the children's disappointment.  They watched the fort taking shape, though, and forgot all about it.  From tightly packed, Regina grit her jaw to make it even tighter, forming not-quite ice but something that the sun would have a hard time melting.   
  
It was relatively simple but held a roughly square shape with round gateway, small bailey, and steps leading up to a low parapet walkway.  When finished, it crackled softly and glimmered in the milky afternoon sunlight.  The children looked to them, and more specifically to Regina, in awe.  When she nodded, they cheered and hurried into the structure.   
  
Emma squeezed her hand, smiling.  "It's good.  And safe?"  
  
"Of course, Sheriff."  
  
"And now we have mud."  
  
Indeed the vale was stripped of snow in the process of building such a compact wonder.  On the walkway, the kids cheered and waved and talked about putting a flag onto the structure.  The adults waved and Emma shivered.  "So now what do you want to do?"  
  
Regina smirked and they vanished in a wash of violet smoke.  
  
  
  
  
Clearly the meeting hadn't run long.    
  
Clearly her god-daughter was in a world of deep shit with Snow.  
  
Not that Snow had any room to talk.  
  
Ruby had dropped by the mansion and run out almost as quickly.  Having only seen Henry on the job, she still knew his rules and restrictions because he whined about them all damn day.  To see him and David playing on the XBox that was most certainly locked up before, Ruby's flight instinct kicked in.  Snow demanded that she locate Emma, which was a good enough reason to not stay long.  
  
Ruby spied Regina's car along the main drag and shop owners claimed to have seen the pair that day but had no clue where they went after.  Not that anyone was keeping up on the affairs of the Evil Queen, Savior or no.  So she wandered town, letting her nose lead her around until she could smell magic on the wind.  Following the trail took Ruby to a field where she gaped at the construct left behind.  Kids waved at her, caring nothing for the cold of the castle.  She gave them a warning about the dropping temperature, though, and hoofed it to Emma's apartment.   
  
At the rather dull off-white door, Ruby's instincts flared again and she hesitated to knock.  She pressed an ear to the door instead and snickered.  "Damn, you go girl."  
  
There was a moment where Ruby imagined just busting into the apartment and giving them what-for.  How could they think to leave Henry alone with his grandparents all day and have everything be status-quo?  Then again, Ruby _did_ have a book to return to the library and it was coming up on dinner time.  She cracked her knuckles and made her way downstairs.  
  
  
"Wait, wait...did you hear something?"  
  
"Does it matter?" Regina growled, bordering on a whine.  
  
Emma bit her lip and rolled her hips over Regina's, humming as her body stretched around the toy.  "Guess not."


	7. Whitecaps

"Do you have experience with this?"  
  
"Seriously?  We've been at it for three hours, Regina."  
  
"Not sex, idiot." she scoffed, batting at the blonde's flat stomach.  "I mean with Henry.  Did you ever-"  
  
"No."  
  
Regina paused at the hard denial, feeling like she was edging on a minefield.  
  
Emma picked up the conversational trail, though, and stroked her lover's arm reassuringly.  "Sorry.  It's just...I saw other fosters jump on that bandwagon and I saw a lot of foster parents use it, too.  Most of the time it was harmless but sometimes they'd flip out and hurt a kid or themselves.  I never saw how it could help me out of...all that."  
  
She closed her eyes.  "Did you have any clue that Henry was smoking?"  
  
"Nope.  Never even smelled it on his clothes.  Kid must've been airing his laundry or keeping a spare bag somewhere.  It was just a bunch of little things that were harmless on their own.  Until I found him and it all clicked."  
  
"You do laundry?"  
  
"Shut up, Mills."  
  
Regina smirked.  Her guilt ebbed as her relief grew.  Emma hadn't even guessed, hadn't thought Henry capable of it.  "We...I should go."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Neither moved.  
  
"Faster than a glacier."  
  
Regina huffed in amusement and regretfully pushed herself upright.  
  
"Aw, no, no, no.  Your mind says go but my body says stay." Emma looped an arm around the slim waist.  
  
"Down, Savior."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Regina grunted when she was hauled back to the mattress.  She squinted when Emma nudged her nose against the brunette's in an Eskimo kiss.  "Emma.  I need to go."  
  
Emma braced up on her elbows, hair curtaining out the world.  "I could call my parents.  Have them bring Henry here.  Make dinner for all of us."  
  
"You best call the pizza place now so it's hot when they get here."  
  
"I would make dinner, your highness."  She jabbed the tip of her tongue out and goosed Regina's side.  "Pots and pans and ingredients."  
  
"I think the shock might force your mother into labor."  
  
"Ick.  I just cleaned my floors, too."  
  
"And you're working early tomorrow."  
  
"Eh.  Just need a nap and I'll be good."  
  
"Off."  
  
Emma gave in to the insistent, if gentle, shove to her shoulders.  "Fine."  
  
As she assembled her clothes, Regina scoffed at the Sheriff - eyes closed.  "I wouldn't have you pegged for a prude, Miss Swan."  
  
"You didn't even want me looking when you changed into pajamas."  
  
"Somehow I think we're past that point." she purred, squeezing Emma's exposed left ankle.  With her jeans pulled on, Regina sat at the foot of the bed to fix her bra.  Next came her shirt and socks and by the time she was toeing on her boots, Regina noticed Emma had been awfully quiet.  Magic laced her boots up as she saw that the Sheriff was passed out, breathing deep and peaceful.    
  
Regina placed a kiss to Emma's head with a muttered 'idiot' before she turned, picked up her jacket from the hall, and left.  
  
  
  
  
  
At 8PM, Storybrooke didn't exactly roll up the sidewalks but Regina didn't encounter a great deal of traffic, foot or car, on the way to her Benz.  Even less was met on the drive home so by the time she reached the mansion, her head was firmly back in the clouds.  When she reached the front door, she was humming and smiling and keeping her lips tight together lest she start giggling.  
  
At the top of the few steps up into the foyer stood Snow and Regina really almost started.  The princess looked irritable.  "Good evening, Snow."  
  
She was almost distracted by the softened planes of Regina's face, happiness shaping her more like the girl Snow knew once.  "Where have you been all day?"  She stuttered trying to stop 'young lady' from coming out of her mouth.  
  
"In town." Regina purred.  "Overseeing construction."  
  
"I know there aren't any building projects until summer, Regina.  No one on the council saw you or Emma all day.  I'm guessing the revised proposal didn't make it there, either."  
  
Hell.  It was still sitting in her car.  "I'll fax it to them and set up a conference call for Monday."  
  
"Where is Emma?"  
  
Regina shed her coat, resisting an eyeroll at the inquisition.  "Asleep, Snow.  In her apartment.  She has to work early tomorrow, you know."  
  
Snow opened her mouth to ask a question she was very likely to regret when there was the clear sound of Henry and David, cheering and groaning respectively.  Her face froze in some terrible parody of fear and embarrassment.  
  
Regina came crashing down from the clouds, smile cracking.  "What are they doing?"  
  
She didn't reply until the mayor walked up the few steps, headed for the living room.  "Regina, wait!"  
  
"Get your hand off me."  
  
"Don't be mad at him."  
  
Regina yanked her arm free and reached with her stride, crossing the foyer into the large living room where she saw Charming and Henry sprawled on the couch, controllers in-hand.  A bag of donut holes, chips, and candy sat between them while a half-dozen cans of soda rested on the coffee table.  She knew the game as one of the more violent of Henry's collection and a favorite of his fan club.  She remembered it specifically because she had banned the 'headshot' chant months ago.  
  
Snow had her arm again and Regina wheeled, wondering at the family's sanity in putting Snow as the first line of defense.  Did they _really_ think she wouldn't hit a pregnant woman?  Hadn't prior days taught them better?  Then again they were Charmings, even Henry to a regrettable degree.  "Grab me again and I'll glue your hands to your sides."  
  
Her pale hands lifted, palms out in submission.  "He did the chores on the list, like you said."  
  
A careful breath was taken.  "Come with me."

Snow followed into the kitchen.  The list that was on the fridge now rested on the island counter with tiny ballpoint pen squiggly circles next to each responsibility.  "What's the problem?"  
  
Oh where to begin?  Regina felt the very last of her giddy good mood fizzle in a wash of irritation.  Were she more like Emma, the brunette might have pulled at her face or thrown something but Regina slapped down a finger on part two of the three-part list.  "What does this say?"  
  
She wasn't about to read off legal jargon.  Honest-to-god legal jargon on Henry's list.  It was amazing a corner wasn't notarized!  Snow sighed.  "One reward to be chosen after his chores are done each day."  
  
"How many?"  
  
"Regina."  
  
"One, Snow.  Only one."  
  
"We didn't see the harm in letting him have TV time and ice cream, Regina!"  And junk food and soda.  Everyone had junk food while watching TV!  Especially when Snow was craving and crying at credit card commercials.  
  
"Part three, please."  
  
She bit back an unkind remark.  They were all trying.  For Emma, for everyone.  "Rewards after a month's chores."  
  
"How many?"  
  
"Are we really doing this, Regina?"  
  
"You gave him half a dozen rewards in one goddamn night, Snow!" she hissed.  "And that damnable game system should still be locked away!"  
  
"Your keys are labeled very clearly."  
  
The flare of rage must have shown in Regina's face for a moment because Snow stepped back and her arms dropped around her stomach.  "Is this how you treat him in your home?  Henry has free reign of the house?!"  
  
"Of course not!  Henry...he's just bored and lonely, Regina!  You took away all access to his friends and activities!"  
  
"Friends that were also taking part in that fiasco!  He can do without if that is what they lead him to!"  
  
"Oh my god, are you hearing yourself?!  He has _friends_!  You should be happy for him!"  
  
"I am **furious** with him!"  
  
Silence dropped into the room to emphasize the way both women stopped breathing.  Snow's face slacked in shock.  Whatever surprise she felt at herself, Regina didn't let it show.  Her mask went from anger to something stern and tired.  "Get out."  
  
"Regina...we can-"  
  
"You can leave, Snow."  She straightened and tugged at her button-down shirt.  "You've done more than enough yet again."  
  
Snow's emotions were so much closer to the surface in her current state and her eyes welled with the hurt.    
  
Regina was unmoved.  "Get out before I throw you out."

With a quiet sniffle, Snow took her leave of the kitchen.  Regina busied herself for a solid ten minutes before she heard the front door click shut.  Another five passed before Henry approached.  "Grandma says you kicked them out."  
  
"I asked them to leave.  I thought you didn't want babysitters."  
  
"I don't but...augh, mom they're family!"  
  
"That wasn't your opinion earlier."  
  
"That was because you were calling them in to watch me like I'm some kind of druggie in rehab!"  
  
"Aren't you?" she countered, heat simmering under the calm.  "How long were you using that...that..."  
  
"Marijuana, mom?" he scoffed.  "What does it matter?"  
  
"Why won't you tell me, Henry?"  
  
"Why don't you tell me how long you've been seeing Emma?"  
  
The list was reattached to the fridge with a magnetic clip.  "We're friends, Henry.  Like you always wanted.  Of course we see each other."  
  
"That's not what I mean and you know it."  
  
"What do you want me to say?"  
  
"I want you to be honest with me!"  
  
"Between the two of us this time, I am certainly not the liar."  
  
Henry locked up, stuck between anger and a sickly plume of guilt.  His jaw clenched tight enough to make its thin muscles jump.  
  
Regina ignored his baleful stare, focused more on breathing deeply to keep the fresh wave of nausea at bay.  It wasn't ever supposed to be cutting words and crumbling gaps between them.  Henry was growing up and away, flying for the sun and running from her protection.  She swallowed hard and opened the fridge for want of something to do.  "I realize your grandparents no doubt ruined your dinner but did you have a preference?"  
  
"Might as well be bread and water."  
  
"You're not a prisoner, Henry."  
  
"Bullshit!"  His hand shot out to the sides, dropping in exasperation.  "You've got me locked up and away from everybody and everything except for when I work at Granny's!"  
  
"Watch your mouth, young man!"  
  
Henry stretched his growing hands over the island counter.  "Why bother?  You're just going to add more time to my punishment and it's more of the same crap!"  
  
"You act like I want to punish you."  
  
"If you don't you've sure got me fooled!"  
  
"I want you to talk to me about what you did!"  The fridge door slammed shut but Regina held the handle to keep the tremors from showing in her hand.  "Or talk to Emma.  Or Archie.  Even your grandparents!  All you've done since you were caught is mope around and whine like a petulant child denied his toys!"  He flushed at the comparison.  "Henry, you're not making the connection between the crime and the punishment and that is why it continues."  
  
"I understand why I'm being punished, mom!  I don't get why it's gone on this long, though!  Taking me away from my friends and my life is only making me more angry!"  
  
"Good." she growled, turning to face him at last.  "Maybe you'll be mad enough one day to talk to someone!"  
  
"Or cast a curse." he snorted.  "That's what we do in this family, right?"

Regina's defenses shot up.  She didn't regret it.  She did **not**.  It brought her Henry.  It brought her happiness, even when her dear son was being an ass.  "That was very different, Henry.  I didn't have anyone to talk to or encourage other ways.  You have people here that love you.  They are willing to die for you, to let you stand on their shoulders and reach for better things.  I can't understand how you could be so...so selfish by throwing all that away for some cheap fix!  You could have hurt yourself or someone else and not even realized it!"  
  
"It's not PCP, mom!  I wasn't gonna run down the street and knife Archie or Hulk out on someone!"  
  
"You're not going anywhere until you're eighteen at this rate!"  
  
He sneered.  "I can't wait 'cause then I can leave this magical hell-hole and _you_!"  
  
Regina didn't even have the breath to gasp.  Henry's face was still locked in anger as he ran out but his beautiful, wide eyes flashed with a moment of regret.  
  
She didn't chase or call after him.  Regina just leaned over the sink for several long minutes, breathing deep.  The ill-feeling didn't subside, though, so she just rinsed out her dry mouth and turned for the stairs.  On muscle memory alone did her body go through the simplest motions of getting ready for bed.  From between the sheets, Regina stared at her cellphone for a good half hour before putting it on the nightstand and rolling away.  
  
Emma had to work early, anyway.  
  
  
  
  
  
\---  


 

  
Granny's technically wasn't open before 5AM but Emma, as Sheriff and Savior, always managed to get the innkeeper to kick on the coffee pots an hour early.  When Emma showed up at the station, she had a large thermos under her arm and was chugging a to-go cup with vigor.  
  
"Long night?"  
  
"Mmm." she hummed, swallowing the last dredges and pitching the cup into her desk's bin.  "Sorta."  
  
"Should I say long day?  I know council meetings are dull as hell but even the hardcore folks would have to get tired after an entire day of nothing to talk about."  
  
Emma rolled her eyes, the thermos making a sound thunk as she set it on her desk.  "Did Snow freak out and send you after us?"  
  
"Hm, well...you specifically.  You know how that is." Ruby purred and stretched her arms up and back, getting her spine to crackle.  "Like an idiot, I chased your tracks before heading over to your place."  
  
"Ha!  I thought I heard someone at the door!"  
  
Ruby jabbed out her tongue.  "I was going to burst in and yell at you two but that might have been a little too mortifying even for me."  
  
"You were gonna yell at us because...we took a day off?"  
  
"I think the term is playing hooky, Sheriff."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"I was going to yell at you 'cause you two left your parents in charge.  Seriously.  Like, parenting 101 here and I don't even have kids!  Henry's in trouble and you guys leave him with his grandparents?  They are textbook spoilers.  It comes with the title!"  
  
Oh no.  No, no, no, no it was too early to hear this.  Emma poured coffee into the mug on her desk and sipped but its comfort was thin.  "What happened?"  
  
"I walked in and they were screwing around with the XBox thing.  From all that Henry's griped about, I know that sucker's supposed to be locked down."  
  
Emma's stomach dropped.  If the XBox was free, there was no telling what else they wouldn't have dug up for Henry's enjoyment.  "Goddamn fucking fuck."  
  
Ruby's eyebrows edged upwards.  "So eloquent this winter morning.  But I think that description applies to last night."  
  
Emma didn't pause, wrestling her phone from her pocket.  "For you, too."  
  
"Wh-what?"  
  
Green eyes rolled.  "Oh please.  Look at you."  She eyed Ruby's standard, unmodified pants and shirt.  "Must've been damn good 'cause you had to resort to your backup uniform.  I wasn't the only one playing hooky yesterday, deputy."  
  
Who knew the Savior could be so observant?  Ruby chuckled and ignored the pink flush of her cheeks.  "You gonna call her?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Really, Emma?"  
  
The Sheriff blushed lightly, eyes glued to her phone.  "Nah...no, i-it's too early."  
  
"Ten bucks says if you don't, she'll call you by seven."  
  
"Nine."  
  
"Double or nothing she says she just wanted to make sure you were awake for work."  
  
Emma smirked.  "Now that's a fool's bet.  G'wan.  Granny's looking a little tired this morning."  
  
Ruby smiled bravely.  With time moving on, there were now moments, just moments, where it was clear that age was catching up with Granny.  Everyone ignored them as best they could, especially the lycanthrope family.  The brunette leaned over to kiss Emma's forehead.  "Don't shoot anyone today."  
  
"Just Henry."  
  
"Not even Henry."  
  
"Snow?"  
  
"Emma."  
  
"Leroy?"  
  
"...maybe."  
  
"Slow target.  Take all my fun, why don't you?"  
  
Ruby smirked and sauntered out, humming Sinatra's 'Bang Bang'.  Emma pushed her phone to the far corner of her desk and settled in to read the night's call report.  Unsurprisingly, past 10PM the only disturbance reported was Leroy bellowing love songs loud and off-key down by the docks.  Ruby called one of his six buddies and they picked him up before Ruby had to go out and arrest him.  
  
Small town mechanics.  Though she still felt rather ill-suited to the job, Emma was actually settling into the role of Sheriff and yet was ever-amazed at how the people responded to crime.  Taking magic out of the picture, the community tried to take care of its own before involving the justice system and while that wasn't always as innocent as picking up a drunk friend, it was warmer than what Leroy could hope to find anywhere else.  
  
Each line was ticked off as harmless.  Emma crossed out the lines Ruby was clearly bored enough to embellish upon, such as her visit to the mansion where Snow was running a three-ring circus and wanting to report a missing lion.  The deputy had checked out for an hour around the time Granny's closed and Emma made a note to have the time added to Ruby's pay.  Even if she wasn't working for the department, she was still working and Emma wasn't going to begrudge an hour.  
  
The report was filed away, leaving Emma with absolutely nothing else to do except hold a staring contest with her cellphone.  It was decidedly winning.  
  
Two mugs of coffee and six rounds with the dartboard, garnering abysmal scores, later Emma startled when her cell rang.  Her fingers almost fumbled the device just picking it up and answering.  Perhaps less coffee.  "Regina?"  
  
A moment of silence passed before Snow's voice came through.  "Good morning to you, too, Emma."  
  
"Oh, hey mo-Snow.  What's up?  Shouldn't you still be sleeping?"  
  
"Your father certainly is."  Her tone was utterly put-out.  "I was just calling to see if you wanted to get breakfast once he's awake.  I know you'll be busy with Henry tonight so we wanted to try and catch you before."  
  
Emma sighed, glancing towards the windows.  Dawn was just barely broken.  "I don't know, Snow."  
  
"Well, while you're thinking about it, would you mind telling me just what was so important you had to keep your phone off all yesterday?"  
  
What indeed.  Coffee and a sore ass with laughter so bright it pushed away fears and the bleak, bitter world.  Sex and snow and cinnamon...Emma startled when her phone slipped and clattered onto the desk.  She scooped it up while clearing her throat.  "Sorry about that, Snow."  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, just dropped the phone is all."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine.  Too much coffee, yanno?"  
  
"You should drink more tea."  
  
"When they make tea in coffee flavor, sure." she quipped her part in the regular argument.  
  
Snow tutted softly.  "So?"  
  
"Soooo...what?"  
  
"Yesterday?"  
  
"Oh."  She fought down a smile.  "We stopped for coffee and people just kept bringing up town business, y'know?"  
  
"To Regina."  
  
"People do still recognize her as Mayor, Snow."  
  
"They may leave the signing and filing to her, Emma, but they don't just walk up to her for a chat."  
  
"Some of them do."  
  
Those were the people, Emma had come to realize, that were either connected to the dethroned monarch or gifted with new courage to raise their voices.  None of them were truly friends but most were allies of some degree and others were simply...grateful.  Diane Flemmings of the ice cream shop had all but thrown herself at Regina's feet when the Curse shattered.  Her daughter had been incredibly ill before the Curse but modern medicine had cured her afflictions such that she was a healthy, happy girl again.  It took several chats but eventually the shop stopped giving free ice cream to Henry every time he wandered by.  
  
"Emma, I know you two weren't out checking road hazards and prospective construction sites.  That sort of thing puts you to sleep even in meetings, sweetheart."  
  
"We were robbing a bank."  
  
"Emma..." Snow groaned.  
  
"Climbing a mountain?  Building sandcastles.  How about ice-skating?  That sound good?"  
  
A minute of silence passed in which Snow was clearly gathering her patience.  
  
Emma was happy to interrupt, sliding an ace in for effect.  "Go back to bed, mom.  Call me when you're both awake."  
  
She sighed, knowing full well she was being played but unable to stop the warmth bleeding from her heart.  "My beautiful, darling Emma."  
  
"Eh, don't get all mushy on me.  I'll talk to you later, yeah?"  
  
"Alright."  
  
She ended the call and set her phone on her desk once more.  Long fingers threaded through her hair in frustration, gathering it back into a fast ponytail.  When it was tied Emma sighed and leaned back in her chair, spine cracking softly.  
  
Her phone buzzed again, loud and angry.  "Seriously?" she groaned, flopping forward.  Her back tightened when she saw the caller ID yet even as she reached to answer, the device went quiet.  Emma stared at it for several silent minutes, nibbling at her lower lip.  
  
Storybrooke's skies warmed from a mute grey to pink as Emma shrugged her jacket on and reached for her keys.

 

 

\----

 

  
  
For her birthday, Emma had received, belatedly, a truckload of gifts.  It was safe to say she'd received ten times more presents than she'd had birthdays.  From ridiculous socks to an amazing personalized hip-holster and a sword of her very own, Emma was plied with gifts from all ends of town to try and gain her forgiveness.    
  
 **On** her birthday, Emma had received a very special fancy cake along with a simple envelope marked with elegant script.  Within was a single card and an even more simple house key.  A key to the Mills mansion.  
  
Emma had yet to use it in spite of being gently teased every time she knocked or rang the doorbell ( _Had I known a key would keep you out, I would have given you one long ago, Miss Swan_ ).  It had its own solitary ring among her collection and she lingered in front of the white door, fiddling with the bit of carved metal.  Regina had called her.  It would be okay.  Regina called.  
  
"C'mon Swan." she huffed, bouncing on her toes before sliding the key home.  
  
It turned smoothly, the dead bolt's click loud and final.  Emma released a held breath.  It worked.  She was okay.  
  
Even with the growing dawn, the foyer was black and Emma's boots seemed thunderous on the polished floor.  Her very breath was magnified tenfold while she peered into the dark and contemplated directions.  Right would see Emma in the kitchen where she could risk making coffee and wait for Regina to join her.  Left would take the Sheriff up and around to bedrooms and sanctuary.  Henry had camped out in his room for weeks after Neverland.  Emma had spent more than one night cross-legged on Regina's bed, listening to the brunette and listening for trouble that never came.  
  
Or perhaps she had just let her guard down too soon.  
  
She skipped over the fifth step and on the ninth, stepped on the right half since the left creaked.  Warming light stretched over the second story, reaching for bedroom doors and casting faint shadows.  It was so still.  So quiet.  Emma brushed the pad of her thumb over her holster but didn't unclip it.  Henry's door was shut tight.  He'd earned back his music after the rapid completion of his schoolwork so his new favorite thing was to blast it from behind closed doors until Regina had to tell him to turn it down.  
  
Another left and Emma encountered Regina's door, fully closed.  Another heavy breath sighed from the Savior as she gripped the door knob and turned.  One boot was already in the room when it occurred to Emma that Regina might not even realize it was her and start casting hell and fury.  However her gut told her she was fine so inwards Emma pressed until she could close the door behind her.  
  
To Emma's delight, Regina wasn't the up-and-at 'em, super perky soccer mom that was up before the crack of dawn, no matter how she tried to convince the town otherwise.  Therefore she wasn't surprised to see the brunette still abed but her majesty was usually a royal bedhog, sprawling when she wasn't cuddling.  It was true before they were sleeping together and twice as such after so to see Regina curled up into a little ball was disturbing.  
  
"Regina?" she whispered  
  
No reply.  Emma pushed away from the door and managed to make it to Regina's bedside without tripping or bungling into something.  She knelt, one hand on the comforter.  "Regina."  
  
The brunette sighed, eyes just barely cracking open.  "I heard you, idiot."  
  
Emma offered a half-smile.  "Y'okay?"  
  
Regina just closed her eyes once more.  
  
"You rang."  
  
"I did not."  
  
"Don't make me pull up my missed calls."  
  
"...I yelled at Henry."  
  
Emma waited, giving the moment its due without coloring it with 'yeah, that happens'.  "I heard about the XBox."

On cue, Regina opened her eyes and sat up halfway.  "Did you hear me?  I _yelled_ at him!"  
  
"You're his mother."  
  
"I've never yell at him, Emma."  
  
She wanted to reach out and offer the comfort Regina so clearly desired but Emma held herself back.  Too soon and it would backfire.  She could wait.  "Did you get any sleep?"  
  
"No...no I just kept thinking and going over it again and again."  
  
Emma's lips pressed into a flat line when Regina continued to glance towards her cellphone.  Her sleep had been deep and restful but now it made her feel guilty.  Wasn't she supposed to know when her lover was upset?  Should her sleep have been broken with tossing and turning and the faint, persistent thought that something was wrong?  "What did Henry say?"  
  
While she couldn't cry in front of her son, couldn't do anything but be strong in front of Henry, exhaustion had worn the queen down and her eyes welled even if the tears didn't fall.  "He feels like a prisoner and he's very eager to leave."  
  
"Leave?"  
  
Regina reached for her phone, squinting at the sudden brightness as it came to life.  "I should make breakfast."  
  
"Hey, hey, whoa..."  Emma stopped her, putting the glaring cellphone screen-down on the nightstand.  "What do you mean he's excited to leave?"  
  
"Me."  
  
"Regina, you know he can't mean that."  
  
"He's meant it before!"  
  
"And he's still a stupid kid!" she hissed.  "He's angry and spiteful and cutting where he knows it's gonna bleed!"  She didn't point out that nature and nurture were neck and neck in that race.  
  
Regina wanted to believe.  It was almost like three years ago all over again with Henry playing sides and hearts more cruelly than his mother ever had.  Somewhere under it all, Henry still loved her.  It was true then, it had to be true now.  Regina had to believe that if nothing else.  
  
Emma reached out and Regina didn't flinch when the Sheriff gently squeezed her biceps.  "You're doing right by him, Regina.  Even if he doesn't see it or doesn't want to believe it.  You are a good, loving mother and Henry owes you a god-damned boatload of apologies, alright?  Okay?"  
  
Regina leaned her forehead against Emma's as the blonde rubbed her arms, taking small comforts over none at all.  She closed her eyes and sighed, drinking in the moments as they built up.  "Did you sleep well?"  
  
She huffed a laugh.  "Yeah.  Yeah, you wore me out plenty.  How about you try some sleep now, hm?  It's pretty awesome."  
  
"So eloquent."  
  
"That's me."  
  
"I need to start - "  
  
"Breakfast.  I'll get it.  You need a nap at least."  
  
"You're working."  
  
"You rang, Madame Mayor.  I promised I'd be here.  Protect and serve, even breakfast."  
  
Regina actually smiled, long fingers spreading over the blonde's neck and jaw, thumbs stroking her cheeks.  Emma's eyes went to half-mast.  "Stay with me?"  
  
"Always." she murmured, eyes flying wide open as she heard herself.  Before she could amend or explain, Regina was kissing her and Emma's thrumming heart calmed.  
  
"Boots." the brunette murmured.  
  
"I definitely don't have time for that."  
  
"Get up here, idiot." Regina drew away and dropped back down.  
  
Emma chuckled but stood and loosed the laces of her uniform boots.  "You'd best be nice or no breakfast for you.  I'll hold your kitchen hostage."  
  
"I'll call Mulan to arrest you." she grumbled, muffled by her pillow.  
  
"She would, too." Emma snorted.  Her belt, jacket, and badge joined the somewhat neat pile before she crawled over the prone mayor and snuggled up behind her.  "Never would have pegged you for cuddling."  
  
"Part of the Evil Queen handbook.  Keep them guessing."  
  
"Rule number one?"  
  
"Emma.  Sleeping."  
  
"Right.  Sorry."  
  
Dawn progressed in the quiet though heavy drapes kept the growing light at bay for the most part.  Emma's thumb kept a steady stroke on the crest of Regina's hip.  She could still smell faint traces of coffee and perfume - sparse signs of the brunette's distress.  Regina favored an evening shower to clear her head so for her to have skipped her ablutions...  
  
Emma startled when the tension abruptly dropped out of her bedmate's shoulders.  A minute's held breath proved that nothing was wrong.  Regina was breathing deep and steady but, Emma realized, she had passed out from pure exhaustion.  
  
For another twenty minutes, the Sheriff lay there, half concerned any movement would wake Regina and otherwise wishing she wasn't on the job.  However there was work to do, official and not, so she carefully extracted herself and scooped her things into her jacket.  The landing and stairs were traveled on socked feet.  It wasn't until the foyer that Emma felt assured enough to loose the bundle and assemble her shed clothing.    
  
A glance at the front door proved it was still locked, no harm in double-checking, and her black boots made surprisingly little noise when she stepped over the sun-stretched hardwood and into the kitchen.  It was still early enough to need the overhead lighting and Emma flicked the switch up on her path to the fridge.  Eggs, coffee, toast, fruit.  Emma moved around the elegant room with an ease that should have startled or unnerved her at the very least.  She was never so comfortable, never so assured with any other room of the mansion.  Hours had been invested in Regina's kitchen and there were a great deal of words carved into its surfaces; each a witness to the highs and lows between them.  
  
Emma was almost humming as she scooped eggs onto a plate already arranged with toast and fruit.  Her hackles twitched, which stilled her voice.  
  
The two-way door thumped open in reply to her instinctual quiet and mother and son locked eyes for the first time in days.  Henry usually slouched through his days.  Emma found it hard to look at him knowing she'd handled her own son like some kind of perp, if only for a minute.  He was the first to look away, clearing his throat and trying to tame the wild shock of growing locks around his head.  "Mornin' ma."  
  
"You look like hell, kid." she returned, nudging the plate towards him.  "Eat."  
  
"I was just gonna get cereal."  
  
"Henry.  Siddown and eat."  
  
Fuck.  Henry's gut dropped into his ankles but he collected the plate and sat at the island.  He shoveled eggs into his mouth to buy time but Emma seemed unconcerned, staring into the distance and sipping at a mug of coffee.  All night he was tossing and turning and rolling between extremes of anger and nausea between short stints of sleep.  Henry could feel the red dryness of his eyes and kept his face down to hide from the kitchen lighting's sting.  
  
"I hear it was a big night."  
  
Henry patiently finished his bite of toast, swallowing and conveying an air of calm he didn't feel.  "I guess it was a big day, too."  
  
Emma sighed, long and slow.  "You'll be with me today."  
  
"I thought I was supposed to work at Gra-"  
  
"Not today.  Shower and dress, kid."  
  
"Where's mom?"  
  
There was an edge of concern, which was nearly panic for the Mills clan, in his voice that took some of the bite off Emma's mood.  "I think she needs the house to be quiet for a while."  
  
 _Is she okay_?  Henry's food became ash in his mouth.  If he had to ask, he damn well knew the answer.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was going to be about five chapters of fluff and fun but then Henry was off doing stupid things so here we are. :)
> 
> You are all so wonderful and amazing to me and I can only say thank you!


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